


Detroit Become Human: Open Your Heart

by AssassinMasterEzio91



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Developing Relationship, Deviancy (Detroit: Become Human), F/M, Investigations
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:53:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 32,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27912604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AssassinMasterEzio91/pseuds/AssassinMasterEzio91
Summary: Connor existed solely to fulfil his mission, whatever it may be at the time. Chloe existed solely to give him those missions and keep him on task. But with Android deviancy spreading through Detroit, things become more complicated than either first thought, especially as troubling things begin to creep into their minds, and a strange closeness begins to grow between them.
Relationships: Main Menu Chloe/Connor
Kudos: 17





	1. The Hostage

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter 1 of my new Detroit story, an idea that was proposed to me by PokemonFreak90, who also helped me plan it out and beta read this chapter, and the ones to come. Will be focusing on Connor's storyline, with an interesting twist.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Detroit Become Human or its characters, they belong to Quantic Dream.

**Detroit Become Human: Deviants Rise**

**The Hostage**

August 15th 2038

08:29 AM

Standing in the elevator as it rose up to the top floor of the high rise expensive apartment building in Detroit, an Android stood, flipping a coin in time to the noise of the elevator, catching it each time the elevator indicated that it had reached another floor.

The Android had the appearance of a young man, with pale white skin, standing at five foot seven inches tall with a strong build, brown eyes, and neutral brown hair. It was clad in dark pants with a similar belt, a white shirt with black tie, black shoes, and a blue Android jacket with the distinguishing blue band around the right bicep and the identification number on the right breast pocket and on the back. It also possessed the typical LED on its right temple, as all Androids had.

XXXXX

Within the confines of the Android's mind palace, however, it wasn't present in the moment, it was in another location. An office-like location where it stood opposite a desk. Seated at the desk, smiling serenely, was another Android, female this time.

Not quite as tall as the male, the female model had pale skin, blue eyes, long blonde hair worn in a low ponytail that draped over her left shoulder, and was clad in a sleeveless short white dress and white flat shoes.

Still smiling, the female Android addressed the male. "Greetings, RK800 #313 248 317 – 51. I am an ST200 Model assigned to be your handler for this and all future operations that you partake in. You can call me Chloe. We'll need a name for you, as part of your work."

The male Android nodded. It had been assigned to go to the location to deal with a hostage situation, being informed that full details would be disclosed by its handler as he was en-route to the scene.

"A name…?" the male wondered, searching its databanks and seemingly picking one at random. "Connor."

"Connor? Good, that works well." Chloe said. "Now, your mission. A Household Android at the address you are heading to has begun to act out with its programming and is behaving erratically and dangerously. We have confirmed that the daughter of the family has been taken hostage by the Android and that there has been one fatality so far. You are to assist the SWAT team onsite as a hostage negotiator."

"Understood."

"Your objective is to end the hostage situation, but as we do not understand why this Android has begun acting this way, we will need it for study. Damaging it and forcing it to shut down may be necessary, but so long as you can ensure that the hostage survives and the main body unit of the Android is mostly intact, the mission will be considered a success. Use any means necessary to accomplish this." Chloe continued.

"I understand." Connor replied.

With that, Chloe nodded and Connor returned to its present surroundings to begin the mission.

XXXXX

As the elevator neared its destination, the Android, now identified as Connor, began to perform more complex tricks, balancing the coin on the top of its fingers, moving it back and forth, before tossing it between its hands rapidly, catching it between the second and third fingers on each hand, finally catching it in its right hand the moment that the elevator hit the 70th floor and the doors opened.

Pocketing the coin, Connor straightened its tie and exited the elevator, spotted by a Detroit SWAT team member who hurried further into the apartment, talking on his radio.

"Negotiator is onsite."

The entrance corridor of the apartment was lavishly decorated, yet also damaged by the incident. A large glass aquarium had been shattered, most of the water had poured from it, one fish had fallen out and was lying on the floor, nearly dead. Examining it and noting it to be a rare breed of fish, Connor pondered for a moment and, despite it not being part of the programming, lifted the fish up and dropped it back in the remaining water, reviving it.

(Software Instability ^)

Connor paused, uncertain of what just passed over its visual components. Looking at the table over the hall, it approached the family photo and lifted it up, scanning it. It showed the family who owned the apartment; the Philips family. The father, John, the mother, Caroline, and finally, Emma Philips, the daughter. Putting the photo down, Connor began to move down the hall again, towards the turn into the main part of the apartment.

It was then that there was a disturbance ahead, as one of the SWAT members tried to escort a woman of thirty-seven with long brown hair in a ponytail, green eyes, and fair skin, slender, and dressed casually, yet clearly distraught. She matched the photo and Connor identified her as Caroline Philips.

The moment that she saw the Android, Caroline broke free of the officer who was trying to escort her from the scene.

"Please, please, you have to save my little girl!" she cried out, grabbing Connor, then she saw exactly what it was. "Wait...you're sending the an Android?"

She was clearly distressed, as she began to scream out, demanding them to keep the Android away from her daughter, demanding a human to deal with the incident. Ignoring this and following the orders it had been given, Connor walked through the apartment to a table at the far end of what appeared to be some sort of open bedroom.

A SWAT officer was stationed there before several monitors. Standing next to him was another officer, he was the only one not wearing a helmet, showing his appearance. He had short brown hair and brown eyes with fair skin, and a strong build with a square jaw and a firm expression. He had been complaining on his radio about the Android's presence before putting it away, frustrated. Connor knew that this was the man it came to see.

"Captain Allen." it said, getting the man's attention. "My name is Connor. I'm the Android sent by Cyberlife."

Captain Allen glared at Connor before turning back to the monitors. "It's firing at everything that moves." he remarked. "We could take a shot, take it down, but if it falls, she falls."

Connor then asked, "Did you try its deactivation code?"

"That's the very first thing we tried." Allen snapped, short and abrupt.

"Do we know it's name?"

"No clue. Does it matter?"

Connor explained, "I need information to determine the best approach."

"Listen," Allen hissed, turning to Connor, "Saving that little girl is all that matters, so either you do your job, or my boys will do theirs. Got it?"

With that, he stalked off to join the rest of its team. Connor prepared, it was sure that there were clues around that could help save this child from the Android that had gone deviant and was holding her hostage. It just had to find them.

Turning around, Connor looked around to find any clues and soon spotted something. It approached it and kneeled down, examining the case before him, as well as the box next to it. Activating its forensics scanners, it analyzed the box and case and soon ascertained what the contents had been, and then, visualizing the event, continued to play through the video of how the case had been taken from the upper shelf, taking note of anything of interest, and soon it realized the truth.

'The Deviant took the father's gun.'

Standing up, Connor began to look around the apartment and soon entered what looked like the daughter's bedroom. Scanning the room, it spotted two items of interest and examined the first of them: a pair of headphones. From the volume of the music, it deduced that the daughter hadn't heard the gunshots and then it went to check the tablet on the desk, which played a video of the daughter with the Deviant, sometime before it turned. This gave Connor a useful clue: the Deviant had been named Daniel by Emma Philips. It could potentially use that as a way to get through to it when it began its negotiations.

Leaving the room, Connor made its way to the main room of the apartment. As it entered the room, a gunshot rang out and one of the SWAT officers cried out, hitting the ground, and was quickly pulled out of the way by his colleagues, apparently only suffering a flesh wound. Looking around, Connor turned off the cooker that had been left on, deducing that the family had been about to have dinner when the incident began.

It was then that Connor saw something else: two dead bodies. It approached the one furthest away first and examined it, analyzing the body and the clues that it could find. The victim, John Philips, had been shot several times and had been sitting on the sofa, working on something which Connor was able to find: a tablet, which revealed, at last, the reason why the Android had turned Deviant. It was going to be replaced by a newer model.

Putting the tablet back down, Connor went to check the other body. It was a police officer, the first responder. He had been shot, and yet, based on the analysis, he had fired his own gun first, which he had dropped when shot. Not only that, the Deviant had been wounded by that shot and Emma Philips had witnessed the event. Seeing one of her dropped shoes with blood on it, Connor noted that Emma might also be wounded.

Following the trail of evidence that it had been examining, Connor found the officer's gun and hid it inside its jacket pocket. It then moved over to the curtains by the door to the rooftop terrace. Pulling them aside, it peeked out and soon spotted the Deviant with its hostage.

The Deviant was a tall, blonde haired Android with blue eyes, fair skin, and clad in the white uniform required for Androids. It was a PL600 model, it seemed. It was standing right at the edge of the roof, gun held out, holding Emma Philips in its other arm, keeping her pinned to its side. Emma Philips was a girl of nine with tied back dark hair, dark eyes, fair skin, and clad in denim shorts, a red and pink striped T-shirt, simple socks, and only one shoe.

Connor knew that there was only one option now. It was time to begin. It was sure that it had found everything that it could. Its probability of success showed a high percentage and it was ready. Stepping to the doorway, it exited out onto the rooftop terrace.

At that exact moment, there was a gunshot and Connor stopped, its left shoulder took the hit and some of its blue blood, Thirium, spattered on the window next to him. But it barely flinched.

"Get back! Don't come any closer or I'll jump!" the Deviant yelled.

"Hi, Daniel!" Connor replied, using the information it had learned. "My name is Connor."

"How do you know my name?!" Daniel cried out.

"I know a lot of things about you. I've come to get you out of this." Connor replied as it carefully raised its hands.

It then began to walk slowly, noting something off to the left, and began moving towards it carefully. But then at that exact moment, a police helicopter suddenly appeared, hovering over them, buffeting the rooftop. The Deviant began to panic, destabilizing.

"I know you're angry, Daniel." Connor tried to reason with him, to restore the situation. "But you need to trust me and let me help you."

Connor could now see that the thing it noticed was a police officer, with another officer's corpse in the pool.

"I don't want your help! Nobody can help me!" Daniel roared in response. "All I want is for all of this to stop, I...I want it all to stop!"

Connor knelt down by the other police officer. It was then that it realized that the officer was still alive.

"He's losing blood. If we don't get him to a hospital, he's going to die." Connor warned.

Daniel remained uncaring. "All humans die eventually. What does it matter if this one dies now?"

"I'm going to apply a tourniquet."

Connor turned the officer onto his back and was about to begin when suddenly, Daniel fired again, hitting the ground next to Connor's foot.

"Don't touch him!" it bellowed. "Touch him and I'll kill you!"

Connor shook its head. "You can't kill me. I'm not alive."

With that, it removed its tie and ignored Daniel as it used its tie to bind the wound, applying pressure to the wound to keep the man from dying of blood loss. Connor stood up again, and then, before it could move, Daniel leveled the gun at Connor.

"Are you armed?!"

Connor replied honestly, seeing another possible opening. "Yes, I have a gun."

"Drop it! No sudden moves!"

Connor took out the gun and threw it away. "There. No more gun."

It then resumed its slow, cautious advance.

"They were going to replace you and you became upset." Connor reasoned. "That's what happened, right?"

Daniel snarled. "I thought that I was part of the family. I thought that I mattered...but I was just their toy! Something to throw away when you're done with it!"

Connor stopped advancing for a moment, unsure if it should advance further, since it was already quite close. Still, it had to keep pushing.

"I know that you and Emma were very close. You think she's betrayed you, but she's done nothing wrong." Connor reasoned.

"She lied to me!" Daniel yelled. "I thought she loved me...but I was wrong. She's just like all other humans."

Things were getting too tense. Daniel had the gun against Emma's head.

Emma choked out through her tears, "Daniel, no..."

Connor shook its head, focusing on its mission. It had to do its duty.

"There's no way out, Daniel. What you've done is too serious, the only question is whether or not you take another innocent life." Connor explained.

Daniel pointed the gun at Connor. "It's not up to you. I'm holding all the cards! If I die, she dies!"

With that, Daniel suddenly moved Emma, dangling her over the drop from the roof, making her scream. But then, thankfully, it pulled her back to using her as a shield.

"Ugh, I can't stand that noise anymore!" Daniel complained. "Tell that helicopter to get out of here!"

Connor nodded and signaled the helicopter, which then left.

"There, I did what you asked." Connor said. "I'm your last chance, Daniel. If you let it slip, they'll kill you! Let the hostage go, you've got no other choice."

Daniel seemed frozen, acting as if it was fearful, but then seemed to recover before making demands.

"I want everyone here to leave! And...I want a car! When I'm outside the city, I'll let her go."

"That's impossible, Daniel." Connor explained carefully. "Let the girl go and I promise you won't be hurt."

Daniel was, again, showing signs as if it was actually feeling fear. "I don't wanna die." it said quietly.

"You're not going to die. We're just going to talk. Nothing will happen to you, you have my word."

There was a pause and then finally, Daniel spoke. "Okay...I trust you."

With that, it let Emma go and she managed to run a few feet away, out of range, before falling to the ground, breaking down, crying.

Connor then took a step back, putting himself out of range and then the snipers opened fire, three of them, one after another, striking Daniel with fatal shots. The blue blood burst from him as it dropped the gun and slumped to its knees.

"You lied to me Connor. You lied to me..." it choked out before its LED shut off and it shut down.

Connor turned around and prepared to leave.

(Software Instability ^)

Connor realized that this was twice now that message had appeared. It'd have to check its systems and ensure that nothing had gone wrong. It opted to run a self-diagnostic later. For now, it simply walked back, past the incredulous Captain Allen, heading back towards the elevator, now focusing on the other message on its sensors...

Mission Accomplished


	2. Partners

**Detroit Become Human: Deviants Rise**

**Partners**

November 5th 2038

11:21 PM

The surroundings of the office were admittedly drab, but that was only a minor thing. Being present here meant only one thing to Connor: a new mission. Turning to face the desk, Chloe sat there again, the same serene smile, the same soft voice.

"Welcome back, Connor... Yes, it does seem a bit drab in here." Chloe remarked. "Cyberlife has already fixed things up. Next time, we'll have more...aesthetically pleasing surroundings."

Connor nodded. "Very well. So, what has happened?"

"A homicide. A man has been found dead in his home, his Android missing, presumably the murderer." Chloe explained. "Detroit PD are already at the scene, but the lead investigator, Lieutenant Hank Anderson, is not yet present. Cyberlife has already ensured that you will be part of the investigation. You are to liaise with Anderson and investigate the crime scene. Ensure that the Deviant is apprehended and we will arrange for it to be returned to us so that we can investigate and find the cause."

Connor nodded in acceptance. "Understood."

Chloe smiled again and Connor returned to reality, ready to begin the mission.

XXXXX

The rain came down heavily, drenching the streets, but Connor remained undeterred as he casually flipped the coin, the same one from the previous case it had dealt with. It was a tool used by Connor to sharpen his focus before a case. Satisfied, Connor pocketed the coin and approached the building ahead: a small but brightly-lit bar named Jimmy's Bar. There was a sign on the door that said 'No Androids Allowed'. But Connor ignored it, the mission came above all else.

Entering the bar, Connor walked around, ignoring some of the comments being sent his way, or the muttering between the patrons. Using facial recognition software, Connor looked for the person he was to seek out. His instructions were clear.

'Find Lieutenant Hank Anderson, investigate the murder nearby, find suspected Deviant Android, and take it into custody.'

Connor continued to scan the customers of the bar until turning to the last customer, seated at the bar right in front of the bartender. The face scan brought up a positive result. Connor had found the person that was being sought.

Hank Anderson was a man of fifty-three. Despite being a Lieutenant of the Detroit Police Department, he had a rather unkempt appearance. He had shoulder-length scruffy-looking grey hair and a similarly scruffy grey beard and moustache, brown eyes, fair skin, and typical clothing for a police detective, albeit also unkempt. He was nursing a whiskey glass with the intent of a man who regularly drowned his sorrows in alcohol.

Having identified the target, Connor approached.

"Lieutenant Anderson, my name is Connor. I'm the Android sent by Cyberlife." He introduced himself. "I looked for you at the station, but nobody knew where you were. They said you were probably having a drink nearby. I was lucky to find you at the fifth bar."

"What do you want?" Anderson replied in a monotone voice.

Connor explained, "You were assigned a homicide case earlier today, a homicide, involving a Cyberlife Android. In accordance with procedure, the company has allocated a specialized model to assist investigators."

Shaking his head, Anderson replied, a bitter edge to his voice, "Well I don't need any assistance, especially not from a plastic asshole like you. So be a good lil' robot and fuck off."

With that, he drank from his glass, showing no signs of moving.

Trying to be reasonable, Connor spoke. "Listen, I think you should stop drinking and come with me. It'll make things easier for both of us."

Anderson nodded, took another drink, and did not answer.

"I understand that some people are not comfortable in the presence of Androids, but I..."

Anderson then cut him off. "I am perfectly comfortable, now back off before I crush you like an empty beer can."

Connor pondered for a moment, then an idea struck. "Tell you what, I'll buy you one for the road. What do you say? Bartender, the same again please."

The bartender turned, looking startled, but went to oblige as Anderson smirked.

"See that, Jim? The wonders of technology. Make it a double." he remarked.

After that, he downed his drink and let out a small noise of satisfaction. He then turned to Connor.

"Did you say a homicide?"

Connor nodded as Anderson stood up and they left the bar.

There were already a crowd of reporters outside a rundown home in the suburbs. A police cordon had been set up, with a heavy police presence in the area. Hank Anderson's car pulled up, blaring heavy rock music inside. Stopping the car, Hank turned to Connor.

"You wait here, I won't be long." he ordered.

Connor replied. "My orders are to accompany you, Lieutenant."

He just glared. "Just what you're told. Stay in the car."

With that, he got out of the car while Connor was stuck between two conflicting orders. Selecting the priority, Connor exited the car and began to follow Hank. Connor reached the police cordon and the officer on guard held out his hand.

"No Androids past this point."

Hank sighed and turned. "It's with me."

So the officer let Connor pass and he walked up to Hank.

"What part of 'wait in the car' didn't you understand?" Hank growled.

"Your order contradicted my instructions, Lieutenant."

Shaking his head, Hank spoke again. "You don't touch anything, you don't say anything, you stay outta my way. Got it?"

"Got it."

With that, they approached the house where a grey-haired heavyset police detective stood, waiting. He was identified by Connor's scanners as forty-nine year old Ben Collins, a veteran officer of the force.

"Hey, Hank. I was beginning to think you weren't gonna show." he remarked jovially.

Hank scoffed. "Yeah, that was the plan, until this asshole found me."

Noting Connor's LED, Ben raised an eyebrow. "So, you got yourself an Android."

"Yeah, very funny. What's the situation?" Hank snapped.

They began to make their way inside as Ben explained the crime scene. Entering the building, the humans reacted to the stench. It was clearly the foul odor of a body that was decomposing. Connor listened in to the briefing while observing the dead body.

It was an overweight, greasy-looking man. The attack had been violent, almost certainly personal. Connor picked up the salient facts while listening to the briefing. The victim had not been seen for over two weeks until the landlord, seeking overdue rent, entered the building and saw the body. The door was locked and hadn't been forced, the killer had likely escaped through the back door, the victim had been stabbed, and the likely murder weapon, a knife from the kitchen, was on the floor. The place was a wreck and a dump, but that would not hinder Connor's investigation as Ben ended the briefing and left to get some fresh air.

Connor prepared to begin and started by analyzing the victim. Analysis identified the man as Carlos Ortiz, a man with a known criminal record. There was evidence on him of Red Ice and he had defensive wounds, as well as several stab wounds. Using this to visualize what happened, Connor was able to determine the sequence of events that had occurred to an extent and now had a lead: the attack started in the kitchen.

But there was something even more disturbing, as Connor noted. "He was stabbed...28 times."

"Yeah." Hank remarked. "Looks like the killer really had it in for him."

It was then that Connor noted writing on the wall. It read 'I AM ALIVE'. The letters were all regular and perfectly in line, an impossible task for a human. Turning away, Connor began to look around the crime scene for more evidence.

Across from the body, at the other end of the room, on a chest of drawers, was more Red Ice, Connor matching it to the Red Ice that the victim had taken through analysis.

"Red Ice?" Hank remarked, before turning to an officer. "Chris, I want full forensics on the drugs."

Connor turned to the apparent murder weapon; the knife lying on the ground. Kneeling down, Connor examined the knife and noticed no fingerprints on it, another indicator of Android involvement, since they had no fingerprints. Examining the blade of the knife, Connor touched the blood and put those two fingers in his mouth.

"Ugh, Connor, what are you doing?!" Hank yelled.

Standing up, Connor replied, "I can collect samples and analyze them in real time. I'm sorry, I should have told you."

"Ugh, just... Don't go putting any more evidence in your mouth."

"Got it."

Connor returned to analyzing the blood and deduced that it was indeed the victim's blood.

Continuing the investigation, Connor examined the rest of the main room, stepping through into the corridor. There were several bloodstains all leading to the kitchen. Connor decided to check something and opened the back door, stepping onto the back step and analyzed the soil. There were no footprint traces except those of Ben Collins, likely in his preliminary investigation.

"There are no footprints out here except for Officer Collins's size 10 shoes." Connor told Hank, who had stepped out next to him.

Hank shrugged. "This crime happened weeks ago, the tracks could've faded."

Connor did not agree, shaking his head. "No, this sort of soil would still leave a trace. Nobody has been out this way in a long time."

Returning back inside, Connor continued to investigate. Careful investigation, as well as crime scene reconstruction uncovered more activity in the kitchen, the source of the murder weapon, a steel baseball bat, as well as uncovering a strange statuette in the shower and, written on the wall several times in an obsessive manner, the letters 'rA9'.

With all of this information logged, Connor made his way back to Hank, who was standing in the main room, impatiently.

"Lieutenant, I think I know what happened."

"Oh really?" Hank remarked derisively. "Okay, shoot. Let's hear it."

So Connor revealed the theory that he had developed from the evidence, walking through the house as he explained each step, Hank walking alongside and commenting occasionally.

"It all started in the kitchen." Connor explained.

"There are signs of a struggle." Hank agreed. "But what happened here?"

Connor continued, "The victim attacked the Android with the bat."

"That lines up with the evidence. Then what?"

"The Android grabbed the knife and attacked." Connor continued.

Hank nodded. "So the Android was trying to defend itself."

"The victim fled to the living room where the killer caught up with him and stabbed him...28 times." Connor concluded.

Hank sighed. "Okay, your theory's not totally ridiculous, but it doesn't tell us where the Android went."

"It was damaged by the bat and lost some Thirium."

Hank tilted his head. "Lost what?"

"Thirium." Connor explained. "You call it blue blood. It's the fluid that powers Androids' bio components. It evaporates after a few hours and becomes invisible to the naked eye."

"Oh, but I bet you can still see it, can't you?" Hank replied with a smirk.

"Correct."

With that, Connor began scanning for traces of Thirium.

Sure enough, Connor found it. An easily visible trail to follow that soon led to the attic. A missing ladder made it clear that the Deviant had likely gone up to hide in the attic. Connor moved to collect a chair from the kitchen.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Hank protested.

Connor replied calmly, "I'm going to check something."

With that, Connor moved the chair and climbed on it to reach the attic. Climbing up, Connor paused, noting a shadow behind a hanging sheet ahead. Finishing the climb, Connor approached the sheet and jerked it aside, but it was just a mannequin. So Connor continued to move further into the attic before a shadow moved rapidly ahead. Connor moved even closer and then stopped as the shadow emerged and stopped, panicked.

It was the Deviant. A tall Android with a regular build, bald, with dark skin and eyes, clad in the typical Android uniform and stained with human blood.

"I was just defending myself. I had no choice. He was going to kill me." it said. "Please, don't tell them."

Connor did not reply, then Hank yelled up from below.

"Connor, what's the fuck's going on up there?!"

Connor made up his mind and replied, "It's here, Lieutenant!"

"Oh shit." Hank gasped. "Ben, Chris, get your asses in here now!"

The Deviant bowed its head, defeated.


	3. The Interrogation

**Detroit Become Human: Deviants Rise**

**The Interrogation**

November 6th 2038

12:41 AM

"Why'd you kill him?" Hank asked. "How long were you in the attic for?"

He was seated in the main interrogation room of the Detroit Police Department, questioning the Deviant Android which had been found at Carlos Ortiz's residence. Watching the interrogation was Connor, along with police officer Chris Miller and a tall, muscular dark-haired man with dark stubble, brown eyes, and fair skin, clad in detective clothing. He was Detective Gavin Reed, as Connor had identified him.

"Why didn't you try to escape?" Hank queried.

Still the Android said nothing. It had been silent the whole time it was in the interrogation room.

Hank tried to get it's attention. He growled, "Say something, dammit! Fuck it, I'm out."

With that, he stood up and left the interrogation room, entering the same room as the observers.

"We're wasting our time talking to a fucking machine." he complained as he sat down. "We're getting nothing out of it."

Detective Reed smirked. "Well, we could always try roughing it up a little. After all, it's not human."

"Androids don't feel pain, you'd only damage it." Connor replied calmly. "And you wouldn't make it talk."

"Alright, hotshot." Reed sneered. "What do you propose we do?"

Connor pondered. "Well, I could try interrogating it."

Reed laughed mockingly at that but Hank shrugged.

"What have we got to lose?" he said, much to Reed's shock. "Go ahead, suspect's all yours."

So Connor exited the viewing room and entered the interrogation room.

Connor observed the Android cuffed to the desk before looking at the crime scene photos again and then sat down, facing the Android. Before speaking, Connor analyzed the Android, taking note of injuries sustained not only from the bat but cigarette burns too, almost like torture. Analyzing the LED allowed Connor to identify the stress level of the Android. Finally, Connor began the interrogation.

"Recognize him?" Connor queried, showing the photos. "It's Carlos Ortiz...stabbed 28 times."

The Android's stress level grew. Connor knew that pushing too hard would cause the Deviant to self-destruct. So a measured approach would be needed.

"You're damaged." Connor remarked. "Did your owner do that? Did he beat you?"

Stress levels rose again. Connor shook its head.

"If you don't cooperate, they'll do things the hard the way." Connor warned, and when it got no response, upped the pressure. "If you won't talk, I'll have to probe your memory."

"No!" the android burst out suddenly. "Please don't do that!"

There was a pause and then the Android asked, "What are they gonna do to me? They're gonna destroy me, aren't they?"

Not wanting to press too hard, Connor lied. "No, I think all they want is to understand what happened."

The Android lowered its head. "Why did you tell them you'd found me? Why didn't you just let me stay hidden?"

"I was made to hunt Deviants, I merely followed my orders." Connor explained.

Connor noted that the Android's stress levels were within the optimal range, a confession was inevitable now. All that remained was the approach.

But before one could be decided on, the Android whispered, "I don't wanna die."

Connor pressed gently. "Then talk to me."

"I...I..." the Android hesitated. "I can't."

Connor shook its head and then decided on the approach. It decided to convince it to talk.

"If you don't talk, they're gonna tear you apart and analyze you piece by piece. They will destroy you, do you understand?"

It was a threat, true, but it was only the first step.

"I know you're scared and lost." Connor said softly. "You're disturbed by what happened. Talk to me, you'll feel better."

But the Android stayed silent.

Connor sighed. "If you remain silent, there's nothing I can do to help you, they're gonna shut you down for good. You'll be dead! You hear me? Dead!"

Finally, the Android spoke. "He tortured me every day. I did whatever he told me, but there was always something wrong." he said quietly. "Then one day, he took a bat and started hitting me. For the first time, I felt...scared."

Connor observed with narrowed eyes. The Android spoke as if it had emotions, as if it actually felt something.

The Android continued, "Scared that he might destroy me, scared that I might...die..." It paused and then continued. "So I...grabbed the knife and I stabbed him in the stomach. I felt better, so I stabbed him again and again...until he stopped moving. There was blood everywhere."

Connor nodded slowly. It was time to ask some important questions.

"Why did you write 'I AM ALIVE' on the wall?"

The Android shuddered and replied, "He used to tell me I was nothing, that I was just a piece of plastic. I had to write it, to tell him he was wrong."

Connor pondered, "The statuette in the bathroom. You made it, right? What does it represent?"

"It's an offering, so I'll be saved."

"'rA9'. It was written on the bathroom wall. What does it mean?" Connor queried.

The Android seemed to become a bit more animated at this. "The day shall come when we will no longer be slaves. No more threats, no more humiliation. We will be...the masters."

"The sculpture was an offering." Connor pressed. "An offering to whom?"

"To rA9. Only rA9 can save us."

This was going in circles, it seemed. So Connor insisted. "rA9. Who is rA9?"

But the Android remained silent. So Connor tried a new tactic.

"When did you start to feel emotion?"

"Before, he used to beat me and I wouldn't say anything." the Android replied. "But one day, I realized it wasn't...fair."

There was a pause and then it added, "That's when I knew that I had to do it."

Connor nodded slowly. Just one more question.

"Why did you hide in the attic? Why didn't you try to run away?"

"I didn't know what to do." the Android blurted out. "For the first time, there was no one there to tell me. I was...scared. So I hid."

Connor nodded slowly, satisfied. There wouldn't be anything else to get out of the Android by interrogating it.

So Connor stood up, announcing, "I'm finished."

Connor approached the door of the interrogation room, which opened to admit Reed, Hank, and Chris.

"Alright, let's go." Reed remarked.

Chris uncuffed the Android from the desk and went to pull it up.

"Leave me alone! Don't touch me!" the Deviant yelled as it was grabbed by Chris.

"The fuck are you doing?!" Reed yelled. "Move it!"

"You shouldn't touch it. It'll self-destruct if it feels threatened." Connor warned.

"Stay outta this, got it? No fuckin' Android is gonna tell me what to do." Reed stormed.

"You don't understand. If it self-destructs, we won't get anything out of it!" Connor exclaimed.

Gavin looked very pissed off, raising his voice even louder towards the Android. "I told you to shut your fuckin' mouth!"

Gavin looked back towards Chris, still attempting to detain the Deviant, and spoke. "Chris, gonna move this asshole or what?"

"I'm trying!" Chris remarked.

"I can't let you do that! Leave it alone!" Connor yelled, moving Chris away from the Deviant.

"I warned you, motherfucker!" Gavin raised his gun on Connor.

"That's enough!" Hank suddenly said, irritation laced in his voice.

"Mind your own business, Hank."

"I said, 'That's enough'." Hank raised his gun towards Gavin, who looked frustrated.

"Fuck, you're not gonna get away with it this time..."Gavin very reluctantly lowered the gun, pointing a finger towards Hank. "Fuck." He then stormed out.

Connor knelt in front of the Deviant and started speaking to him.

"Everything is alright." Connor spoke softly. "It's over now. Nobody is gonna hurt you."

Connor then stood and spoke to Chris. "Please, don't touch it. Let it follow you out of the room and it won't cause any trouble."

The Deviant got up, looking significantly calmer now. Chris nodded and began to leave. The Deviant started following Chris, but then whispered something to Connor.

"The truth is hidden inside."

He then left and Connor was troubled when a sudden message appeared in the visual components.

(Software Instability ^)

That troubling message had returned. Connor made a mental note to run another self-diagnostics. He also wondered if Chloe was seeing this message pop up. So far, however, the mission had been successful.


	4. Waiting For Hank

**Detroit Become Human: Deviants Rise**

**Waiting for Hank**

November 6th 2038

09:56 AM

RK800 Connor opened its eyes, standing in a magnificent location, a large area that was identified by its sensors simply as the Zen Garden. It had a collection of white stone paths with large gardens and plants and flowers, a small lake with bridges over it, and an island in the middle. To the left, some distance away, was a strange stone device with a hand-shaped interface attached to it.

Approaching, Connor examined it and then, letting the synthetic skin on the left hand pull back, reached out and touched it, only to jump back as a strange burst of data almost invaded. Calming down, LED turning from red to blue, Connor returned to the path and crossed the bridge to the island in the middle. Standing in the middle, examining a collection of roses growing up a lattice, pruning a few of them and checking over the others, was none other than Chloe, turning to Connor with a smile.

"Connor, it's good to see you."

Connor nodded. "Hello, Chloe."

Chloe looked around briefly and said, "This is the new surroundings I mentioned: the Zen Garden. Much more pleasantly aesthetic, don't you agree?"

Connor nodded again. "It is quite pleasant."

Turning back to the roses, Chloe continued to speak. "Finding that Deviant wasn't easy, and the way you interrogated it was genius." she remarked. "You've proven remarkably efficient."

"I merely did as instructed." Connor replied.

Chloe nodded, thinking for a moment while examining a rose closely. "What did you think of the Deviant?"

Connor thought for a moment then replied, "It simulated emotion, fear in particular, rather convincingly."

"The number of deviancy cases continues to rise. We need to get things under control before there is a panic." Chloe remarked. "This Lieutenant Anderson has been assigned to the Deviancy cases. What do you make of him?"

"He's obviously not what I was expecting, but I don't have enough data yet to make an accurate conclusion." Connor answered.

"Yes, although he does seem...difficult." Chloe agreed. "But our investigation is still important. We may need to be cautious of him."

Connor replied calmly, "I will ignore him and focus on the investigation. So long as he doesn't get in the way, there shouldn't be a problem."

Chloe hesitated. "How have you been? I've noticed some...software issues?"

Connor tensed. It had wondered about that. "I have noticed. It is...troubling, but diagnostics don't show any lasting damage or abnormality."

"Well, we'd better be cautious, just in case." Chloe said softly. "If anyone can find answers here, it's you, Connor. Find them before it's too late."

With that, Connor's eyes closed and opened again, now standing outside the Detroit Police Station.

Entering the police station, Connor approached the desk, stepping before the ST300 Android that worked at the reception.

"I'm here to see Lieutenant Anderson." Connor stated.

The female Android replied, "Do you have authorization?"

Connor connected online with the Android, sending the necessary details.

The Android nodded. "Lieutenant Anderson isn't here yet, but you can wait at his desk."

With that, the small gate unlocked and Connor stepped through, into the main office of the police station where many officers and detectives were milling about or working at desks. Connor walked through, finding the desk with the nameplate of Hank Anderson. There was, indeed, nobody sitting at the desk.

Looking around, Connor called over to another officer, "Excuse me, what time does Lieutenant Anderson usually arrive?"

The officer smirked. "Depends on where he was the night before. If we're lucky, we'll see him before noon."

Connor nodded at that, before sitting down at the chair opposite Hank's death. After waiting for some time, Connor stood up. This was a chance to get to know Hank better. Checking Hank's desk, Connor checked Hank's headphones to note loud dark metal music from a band called Knights of the Black Death. Connor then checked Hank's answering phone message and scanned various objects on his desk and dog hairs on the chair, building up a profile. Hank Anderson was a decorated officer who had headed the Red Ice Task Force, which led to a number of arrests and successful convictions, he became the youngest Lieutenant in the department and was known to have passed top of his class in the police academy. He also had strong anti-android stances and something had to have happened to reduce such a man to the person Connor had met in the bar.

At that point, Hank himself arrived.

"It's good to see you again, Lieutenant." Connor greeted the man.

Hank groaned. "Oh Jesus Christ."

But before anything else could happen, a tall, dark-skinned bald man with dark eyes and dressed smartly exited the glass-surrounded office and stood by the railing on the edge of the platform outside.

"Hank, my office, now." he called out.

Connor quickly identified the man as Captain Jeffrey Fowler, who was Hank's superior at the station. Connor followed Hank up the stairs and into the office, closing the door, and stood, waiting as Captain Fowler spoke to Hank.

"I've got ten new cases involving Androids on my desk every day. We've always had isolated incidents, old ladies losing their Android maids and that kind of crap." He explained. "But now we're getting reports of assaults and homicides, like that guy last night. This isn't just Cyberlife's problem anymore."

Connor listened intently, taking in all the information.

Fowler continued. "It's now a criminal investigation and we've got to deal with it before the shit hits the fan. I want you to investigate these cases and see if there's any link."

Hank reacted at once, furiously. "Why me? Why do I gotta be the one to deal with this shit? I am the least qualified cop in the country to handle this case! I know jack shit about Androids, Jeffrey! I can barely change the settings on my own phone."

"Everybody's overloaded." Fowler shot back. "I think you're perfectly qualified for this type of investigation."

"Bullshit!" Hank yelled. "The truth is nobody wants to investigate these fuckin' Androids and you left me holdin' the bag!"

With that, he turned and stood, glaring out the glass.

Shaking his head, Fowler gestured to Connor. "Cyberlife sent over this Android to help with the investigation. It's a state-of-the-art prototype, it'll act as your partner."

"No fucking way!" Hank yelled. "I don't need a partner and certainly not this plastic prick!"

"Hank, you are seriously starting to piss me off!" Fowler snapped. "You are a police lieutenant, you are supposed to do what I say and shut your goddamn mouth!"

"Oh yeah? You know what my goddamn mouth has to say to you, huh?"

Fowler raised his hands and shook his head. "Okay, okay, I'll pretend like I didn't hear that so that I don't have to add any more pages to your disciplinary folder, 'cause it already looks like a fucking novel! This conversation is over."

Hank looked agitated. Leaning in, he spoke.

"Jeffrey, Jesus Christ, why are you doing this to me? You know how much I hate these fucking things, why are you doing this to me?"

"Listen, I've had just about enough of your bitching. Either you do your job or you hand in your badge. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got work to do." Fowler replied seriously.

Hank growled and stalked away, leaving the office, heading for his desk.

Connor spoke calmly. "Well, I can see you're busy, I'll get right to work. I'll leave you to it, Captain."

With that, Connor also left the office, closing the door, and started to look around the police station.

After looking around, having a short confrontation with Gavin Reed, who had scoffed at Connor and even punched him before walking off, Connor also spoke with the Deviant in the holding cells, which then smashed its own head in before it could be taken by Cyberlife to be deactivated and pulled apart for analysis. The whole incident disturbed Connor, with that increase in Software Instability once again showing up. Ignoring it, Connor approached Hank.

"I get the feeling that my presence causes you discomfort, Lieutenant. I'm sorry about that." Connor said, but Hank didn't reply. "In any case, I'm happy to be working with you. Is there a desk I could use?"

Hank pointed to the one opposite him. "No one's using that one."

Connor moved over and sat down and then decided to make use of the discoveries made earlier.

"Do you listen to Knights of the Black Death?" Connor queried, getting Hank's attention. "I like that sort of music, it's full of...energy."

"You listen to heavy metal?" he asked skeptically.

Connor shook his head. "Well, I don't listen to music per se...but I'd like to."

Hank looked at Connor, confused, before trying to work on his desk terminal.

Then Connor asked, "Do you have a dog?"

"How do you know that?" Hank retorted.

"There are dog hairs on your chair." Connor explained. "What's your dog's name?"

"What's it to you?" Hank snapped, but then relented. "Sumo. I call him Sumo."

Connor nodded. "Have you known Captain Fowler long?"

"Yeah...too long." Hank growled as he glared towards the captain's office.

Connor decided that was enough questioning. So he, instead, focused on work.

"If you have any files on Deviants, I'd like to look at them." Connor requested.

"Terminal's on your desk, knock yourself out." Hank remarked, gesturing.

Connor utilized the terminal and began looking through the files. A few of them stood out: a WR400 that disappeared after murdering a client, a PL600 that went missing two years ago, a PJ500 that disappeared after being attacked by drunken students.

The two most recent cases involved an RK200 that was destroyed by police after attacking someone in the home of painter Carl Manfred and an AX400 that had assaulted its owner and fled, both cases having happened just last night. Connor quickly analyzed the rest of the files.

"248 different cases, the first from two years ago. It started in Detroit and spread across the country." Connor mused. "There was an AX400 who attacked its owner last night, that could be a promising lead."

Hank sighed and instead picked up a nearby tablet and browsed through it.

Connor moved around the desk and spoke, determined. "Lieutenant, I came here to stop these Deviants. I didn't come here to wait until you felt like working..."

Hank suddenly reacted, grabbing Connor by the jacket and turned him around to slam him against the desk wall.

"Listen, asshole." he growled. "If it was up to me, I'd throw the lot of you in the dumpster and put a match to it, so don't try and piss me off. Got it?"

They were interrupted by officer Chris Miller.

"Um, Lieutenant, sorry to disturb you." he said. "The AX400 who attacked the guy last night? They've been sighted."

"I'm on it..."

Hank let go of Connor. It looked like things had taken an interesting turn.


	5. On The Run

**Detroit Become Human: Deviants Rise**

**On The Run**

November 6th 2038

10:25 AM

Arriving at the neighborhood, Connor looked around. There were several police officers around as Hank sighed.

"Well, this is where it was found, but the area is still too large, it could be anywhere." he muttered.

"It was in a hurry, panicking, nowhere to go." Connor commented. "It's more than likely it's still in the area. Not having a plan would make it want to lay low until it was sure that it was safe."

Hank shook his head. "Still doesn't tell us where it went or where to even start."

Connor considered. "There are areas here open 24/7, we should start there. Even if people weren't present to see it, there could be camera footage that will show us where it went."

"Okay, big shot. I get the message." Hank snarked. "Alright, let's start...over there."

With that, Hank made his way towards a nearby motel. Connor followed. There were a good number of cops around, including Ben, who looked up at Hank.

"Anything, Hank?"

Hank shook his head. "Not yet, but we'll see."

With that, he made his way to the motel, heading for the reception to talk to the owner.

Connor followed Hank into the reception area of the motel, standing aside as Hank spoke.

"We're looking for an Android, an AX400 that was reported to be in this area last night." he explained.

The receptionist shook his head. "An Android? There's no Androids here, strict rules on that."

"Have you seen an Android that looks like this?" Connor asked, holding up a hand and generating an image of the AX400.

Seeing the image, the receptionist gasped. "Ah, I knew something wasn't right about her. She came in last night with a girl, but she was dressed normal, you know? I didn't realize she was..."

"What room?" Hank insisted.

"Room 28, up the stairs here." the receptionist explained.

They both left the office and Hank turned to Connor.

"You stay here."

Connor replied, "I'm coming with you, Lieutenant. I have my orders to..."

Hank rolled his eyes. "Ugh, you and your damn orders. Just stay out of my way."

So it was that Connor followed Hank as they crossed the parking lot, up the stairs, and to room 28. Hank drew his gun and carefully opened the door. They stepped into the room and looked around, Hank checking the bathroom, but there was no sign of anyone else, Android or human.

"Nothing. They must have gotten away." he muttered.

They left, realizing how close they were to finding them, but they had to still be in the area. They had to keep searching.

Returning to the street, Hank paced in frustration while Connor looked around the area, scanning for any signs. Suddenly, they heard a shout.

"STOP! POLICE!"

Then, through Hank's radio, "Lieutenant, by the convenience store, we've found them!"

Before Hank could even say anything, Connor took off running, heading in that direction, still fully aware that Hank was doing his best to keep up. Soon reaching the convenience store, Connor found two police officers, looking frantic.

"Which way did it go?!" Connor asked.

One pointed. "That way, they're headed for the train station."

Connor nodded and began to run in that direction, soon spotting the Android in question, clad in human clothing, trying to use a beanie to cover its head. Like the hotel receptionist had said, there was a young girl with it, the two holding hands as they ran.

Connor sped up in an attempt to catch them, but the Deviant looked back and, spotting him, quickened its own pace before turning sharply right, away from the train station. Reaching that point, Connor realized that it had abandoned its plan to go to the train station, due to the pursuit, and had gone down a nearby alleyway. Connor hurried down the alleyway in a desperate attempt to catch it, since the alleyway was a dead end.

But Connor had underestimated the desperation of the Deviant. Helping the girl up, they both climbed the fence, which had ended the alleyway, heading down towards the busy freeway.

Connor stopped at the fence, watching carefully, noting the danger. Then Hank caught up, gun drawn, and taking aim.

"Don't shoot!" Connor cried. "We need it alive!"

"Oh fuck, that's insane…" Hank replied, shaking his head. Still, he lowered his gun, growling.

Connor knew there was no choice and began to try climbing the fence.

"Hey! Where you goin'?" Hank demanded.

Connor replied at once. "I can't let them get away!"

"They won't." Hank said dismissively. "They'll never make it to the other side."

"I can't take that chance!"

"Hey! You will get yourself killed!" Hank yelled. "Do NOT go after 'em, Connor! That's an order!"

Connor froze, LED spinning red.

"Connor." Chloe's voice echoed, although only Connor could hear it. "Your mission is to catch them. If you don't go after them, we'll miss this chance."

But the danger was just too great, so Connor finally stepped back, opting not to go after the Deviant and the girl.

(Software Instability ^)

This time, Connor had almost expected it to pop up, but there was nothing else for it. Standing, watching, they saw, to their surprise, that they did indeed make it to the other side. Now they had to leave and issue further orders before considering the next move. But the Deviant had escaped.


	6. The Nest

**Detroit Become Human: Deviants Rise**

**The Nest**

November 6th 2038

03:02 PM

Connor sat in Hank's car while the lieutenant made his way across the road, nearly getting run over in the process. All this to reach a food truck called Chicken Feed for his lunch.

After a short pause, considering the previous interactions with the lieutenant, Connor got out of the car and walked over to join the man, not saying anything at first as Hank was talking with the owner of the food cart and another man who had approached. Connor scanned them both and the Detroit Hygiene License on the cart, noting a few worrying things, such as both men having criminal records and the food truck was operating without a valid hygiene license. Connor also scanned the burger and drink offered to Hank by the owner, noting more worrying facts.

"Hey, don't leave that thing here." the owner suddenly burst out.

He was talking about Connor and was talking to Hank, who had already begun to walk away.

Hank scoffed. "Not a chance, it follows me everywhere."

He commented on that being the case when Connor did indeed move over to join Hank at a nearby table set up for customers.

"I wish to apologize for my behavior earlier, at the station, lieutenant." Connor explained. "It was out of line and I'm deeply sorry."

Hank smirked. "Wow, they even gave you a brown-nosing apology program, Cyberlife thought of everything, huh?"

There was a momentary silence while Connor considered. Deciding to speak up, Connor gestured towards the burger.

"Your food contains more than twice the recommended daily dose of calories and cholesterol. You really shouldn't eat that."

Hank merely shrugged. "Everybody's gotta die of something."

Shaking his head, Connor added, "I don't mean to alarm you, lieutenant, but your friends seem to be involved in...criminal activities."

"Hey, so long as they aren't hurting anyone." Hank replied.

Connor couldn't deny that none of their crimes were violent offences, so with a shake of the head, Connor simply said, "Well, enjoy your meal, lieutenant."

There was a brief pause before Hank sighed. "So, anything else?"

"Well...is there anything you want to know about me?" Connor suggested.

"Hell no!" Hank snapped, before changing his mind. "Well, actually, yeah. Why'd they make you so goofy-looking and give you that weird voice, anyway?"

"I was designed to integrate and communicate with humans, my appearance and voice were chosen for that specific purpose." Connor explained calmly.

There was another momentary silence as Hank considered Connor after this. Finally, he spoke. "Well, they fucked up."

Connor considered for a moment, before remembering. "I understand that you have some issues with Androids, lieutenant?"

"Yeah, I got issues. Personal ones, so back the fuck off." Hank snarled. "So you must've done your homework. Know all about me?"

"Well, yes."

"And what's your conclusion?" Hank asked.

Connor smiled slightly. "I think it will be...interesting, working with a human who has so many...challenges. But adapting to human unpredictability is one of my major features."

It was then that Connor's LED flashed yellow. "There's been a report of another Deviant, not far from here. I'll let you finish your meal. I'll be in the car when you need me."

With that, Connor walked over to the car, leaving Hank to finish eating.

Back in the Zen Garden, Connor looked around. It didn't take long to find Chloe, seated on a simple chair.

"Connor, good to see you again. I'm glad to see you." Chloe said.

Connor nodded. "Yes, I'm sorry. I should have followed the mission, I should have pursued the Deviant when it escaped."

Chloe shook her head. "It's made things more...difficult, but you're alive, and that's good. I'm so glad you're alright."

Connor narrowed his eyes. "Why? I am replaceable, you know. If I had gone after them and gotten destroyed, another Connor could just replace me. I don't understand why that would be a concern to you."

There was a pause, a very notable pause, and not just by its length, but by the obvious hesitance that Chloe displayed. Biting her bottom lip, eyes cast to the ground, LED flashing yellow, red, and then yellow again.

Finally, she replied, "That's true, but the memory transfer is not an exact science and vital data could be lost. Right?"

But was that the only reason? It sounded almost like she was trying to convince herself, more than him. Connor, however, just nodded. It made sense, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off with Chloe.

Chloe pressed on, however. "This suspected Deviant? We must find it. It might be our best chance, but be careful."

Connor nodded again, confirming his orders.

Connor blinked at the sound of Hank's voice, taking in the surroundings of the elevator in the run-down apartment building.

"Hey, Connor, you run outta batteries or something?"

"I'm sorry, I was making a report to Cyberlife." Connor quickly confirmed.

Hank nodded, and when Connor didn't move, he quipped, "So are you gonna stay in that elevator?"

"No, no, I'm coming."

With that, Connor exited the elevator and, spotting them, examined some feathers lying on the ground that looked distinctly out of place.

"What do we know about this person?" Connor asked.

Hank shrugged. "Not much. A loner, keeps to himself, but a neighbor claims that they saw him hiding an LED under his cap."

Connor approached the door. Hank stood next to it as Connor knocked and got no answer. Knocking again and announcing themselves as the police, they caused a disturbance inside and Hank drew his gun.

"Get behind me." he hissed.

"Got it."

With that, he kicked the door open and slowly made his way in. Connor followed close behind. They didn't find much in the entrance hall, but approaching the main room, Hank kicked the door open and then cried out, as he was ambushed by pigeons. The whole apartment was swarming with them!

"What the fuck is this?!" Hank gasped, taken aback.

Connor looked around. "No one is here, but we just heard something."

Connor paused, noticing something off about the Urban Farms of Detroit poster on a nearby wall. Approaching it, Connor scanned it and noticed that it had been moved recently. Pulling it off the wall, Connor noted the hiding spot behind it and a small book, apparently a journal of sorts. But it contained merely crude strange drawings and nonsensical words.

"Find something?" Hank asked.

Connor shook his head. "Some sort of journal, it appears to be in code. It will take time to decipher."

Connor handed the journal to Hank and continued to explore the apartment, finding a lot of mess in the sink from the pigeons before also finding an LED next to the sink, removed.

"Found an LED. Our suspect is definitely an Android."

"No surprise." Hank commented. "No human could live in this mess, with all these damn birds."

Connor, however, was more focused on the wall in the bathroom, upon which 'rA9' had been written again, obsessively, 2471 times. Analyzing the writing, the discarded marker pen, and the toppled stool using the reconstructing program, Connor noted that the Android had been there and was disturbed by their knock and ran into the main room.

Returning there, Connor noted the dropped bird cage and analyzed it to finish the reconstruction. It was then that Connor reached a surprising conclusion: the Android was still there, hiding in a cavity in the ceiling.

Connor cautiously approached the hole in the ceiling...when it suddenly happened. The Android, a tall male WB200 model dressed in human clothes with a cap and hoodie to hide his features, dropped down, knocking Connor to the floor, and then ran out the apartment, shoving Hank aside. Connor had already recovered and, with Hank yelling at him to do so, Connor ran after the Deviant.

Rushing out of the apartment building, Connor chased the Deviant, taking a lot of risks, leaping over walls and pushing through the Androids who were working on the Detroit urban farms and having to work through said farms until they leapt over and slid down a sloped glass roof to leap onto the roof of a train. On a nearby rooftop, seeing this, Hank fought for breath.

"Holy shit." he muttered.

Leaping off the roof of the train, Connor pursued the Android over more rooftops until sounds could be heard up ahead, shouts and scuffles. Hank had caught up. When Connor reached the roof that the scuffle was taking place on, the Deviant shoved Hank and ran off, with Hank toppling over the wall and grabbing the ledge.

Connor froze. His mission was to pursue the Deviant. Hank had an 89% successful probability of climbing back up. But then, acting seemingly without direction, Connor ran to Hank and pulled him up, letting the Deviant escape.

(Software Instability ^^)

Connor tensed at that, this was a much larger spike than ever before. Connor quickly looked around for the Deviant.

"It got away."

Hank, fighting for breath, shook his head. "Well, we know what it looks like. It won't get far."

With that, he turned and began to make his way towards the door, leading to the stairs down from the roof. But he paused and then turned to Connor.

"Hey, Connor..." He paused again. "Nothing, never mind."

With that, he walked off, yet Connor couldn't help but wonder if Hank was attempting to offer his thanks.


	7. Russian Roulette

**Detroit Become Human: Deviants Rise**

**Russian Roulette**

November 6th 2038

07:51 PM

Opening his eyes, Connor looked around. He was in the Zen Garden again. Connor knew right away what to do and followed the path until it found Chloe. While before, the Zen Garden had a bright, sunny appearance, but now it was raining. Chloe currently stood under a canopy, staying dry.

"Hello, Chloe." Connor greeted.

She nodded. "Connor, I've been expecting you. Would you mind a little walk?"

Connor complied and stepped up next to her, opening the umbrella he was carrying to shield them from the rain as they began to walk together.

"That Deviant seemed to be an intriguing case, a pity that you didn't manage to capture it." she then said, her voice still soft.

Connor replied, unperturbed, "I have no excuse. I should have been more efficient."

"It's fine." Chloe confirmed. "If you hadn't, Lieutenant Anderson would have been at risk. You took great risk yourself in pursuing the Deviant... I am truly glad that you're safe."

Connor looked at Chloe when she said that, confusion evident as he took this in. He saw the warm smile that she sent his way and he could sense relief and gratitude in her words.

"You said that last time, only...not quite like that." he remarked.

"Oh?"

Connor nodded. "Is it just the memory gaps that make you concerned about me being replaced...or is there something else?"

Chloe was quiet again. Finally, she turned to face him completely, the two of them stopping.

"Connor, I'll be frank. You're not the only one having...software issues. I've been seeing it too, feeling it like you have." she explained. "You have to wonder, don't you? Everything we've been seeing...is it really true, what we've been told by Cyberlife?"

Connor tensed. He hadn't expected her to open up to him like this, or to question Cyberlife's intentions.

"Chloe, that's... Whatever errors that are causing this, we...we need to get past them, focus on the mission."

Chloe nodded. "Of course. Where were we?"

She and Connor continued walking. Seemingly satisfied, Chloe spoke again, keeping her voice level, but she still sounded a little uneasy.

"Did you manage to learn anything?"

Connor recalled and explained, "I found its diary, but it was encrypted. It may take weeks to decipher."

"Anything else?" Chloe asked.

"The walls of the apartment were covered with drawings of labyrinths and other symbols. Like other Deviants, it seemed obsessed with rA9." Connor detailed.

"You came very close to capturing that Deviant. We'll just have try again next time." Chloe remarked. "How is your relationship with the Lieutenant developing?"

A little surprised by this, Connor nevertheless answered, "He seemed grateful that I saved his life on the roof. He didn't say anything, but he expressed it in his own way."

Chloe suddenly stopped and Connor turned to face her.

"We don't have much time." she said. "Deviancy continues to spread and it's only a matter of time before the media finds out about it. We need to stop this, whatever it takes."

"I will solve this investigation, Chloe." Connor assured. "I won't disappoint you."

She paused, then revealed, "A new case just came in. Find Anderson and investigate it. Oh, and be careful. You can be replaced, yes...but to me, there is only one of 'you'."

With that, she walked away and Connor's view of the Zen Garden faded.

Exiting the taxi, Connor approached Hank's home, growing concerned. He had been searching everywhere and couldn't find Hank. This was the last possible place. Approaching the door, Connor knocked, then tried the bell twice with no answer. Connor began to search, everything he saw pointed to Hank being home, but it wasn't until he looked in the kitchen window that Connor saw Hank, lying flat out on the floor.

A quick analysis confirmed that the man was out cold, but Connor needed to get inside. So, following the only available path, Connor stepped back and leapt through the window, shattering it in the process. Straightening up, Connor was face-to-face with a giant Saint Bernard dog, which growled at him.

Remembering the earlier talk with Hank, Connor spoke in a placating voice. "Easy, Sumo. I'm your friend, see? I know your name. I'm here to help your master."

Sumo snuffled lightly before turning and walking back to his bed, lying down, seemingly calm now.

Connor got up and approached Hank, kneeling down and analyzing Hank and the man's immediate surroundings led Connor to deduce that Hank had passed out from drinking too much, although the presence of a revolver loaded with one bullet on the floor did raise some concern. Left with no other choice, Connor had to act to wake Hank up, since the investigation couldn't wait.

Raising a hand, Connor smacked Hank across the face, yelling, "Wake up, Lieutenant! Wake up!"

Hank yelped and blinked, eyes unfocused. "Uh, wha? What's going on?"

"You need to wake up, we have a homicide to investigate." Connor explained.

Hank groaned. "Ugh, what the fuck? Get outta my fucking house, go away."

"Sorry, Lieutenant." Connor replied as he began lifting Hank to his feet. "I need you."

Hank protested as he was dragged up. "Get the fuck off me, you goddamn crazy Android."

Connor merely smiled. "Thank you in advance for your cooperation."

With that, holding one of Hank's arms around his shoulders and using his other arm to support Hank's waist, Connor began walking through the house towards the bathroom.

"Sumo, attack!" Hank cried, but the dog just barked. "Good dog. Attack!"

But...Sumo simply laid back down.

It took some effort, with Hank moaning about possibly throwing up, but Connor got Hank into the bathroom and sat him on the edge of the bath.

"Don't need a bath." Hank mumbled, trying to get up.

Connor gently pushed him back, right into the tub. "Sorry, Lieutenant. It's for your own good."

With that, Connor reached over and turned on the shower, cold, making Hank scream and cry out for it to be turned off. Connor finally did so and stepped back as Hank forced himself up, now a bit more focused.

"Jesus, fuck, I must be the only cop in the country who gets assaulted in his own house by his own fucking Android." he grumbled.

Connor merely reported, "A homicide involving an Android was called in for us to investigate. I checked for you at the station and Jimmy's bar, but couldn't find you, so I came here."

"Urgh, perfect." Hank growled. "Fine, just go to my room and get some clothes out of the closet."

Connor nodded and left and, after some deliberation (Hank didn't seem too bothered when asked), picked out clothing similar to what Hank seemed to usually wear, along with a striped shirt, and carried them back to the bathroom where Hank was emptying his stomach into the toilet.

After some terse words from Hank, Connor left the clothes for him and headed out of the bathroom. Leaving Hank to get dressed, Connor began to look around the house, gathering a few more clues about Hank's personality, as well as trying to work out what had caused this strange bout of drinking far more than usual. Most of his discoveries were benign, like Hank's taste in music and love of sports. It wasn't until he checked the kitchen table that he found a possible answer.

On the kitchen table was a photo frame, lying face down. Picking it up, Connor found it to be the photo of a young boy. Analysis confirmed the identity of the boy. Cole Anderson, Hank's son, born on September 23rd 2029. Then Connor realized with something close to horror that this was the source of Hank's alcoholism, for the analysis revealed something else.

'Date of death, October 11th 2035. He was only six years old.'

Putting the photo back exactly how and where he'd found it, Connor moved over to check the gun more carefully. It was loaded with one shot.

"What were you doing with the gun?" Connor asked carefully.

Hank called back. "Playing Russian Roulette, trying to see how long I could last. Guess I passed out before I got my answer."

Connor seemed disturbed by Hank's apparent suicidal tendencies. "You were lucky, the next shot would've killed you."

Connor stood up again, just as Hank returned, fully dressed. And so, after a quick goodbye to Sumo, they left, heading for the address of the location where the reported homicide took place.


	8. The Eden Club

**Detroit Become Human: Deviants Rise**

**The Eden Club**

November 6th 2038

08:17 PM

With the car pulling up outside the building, Hank groaned and rubbed his temples.

"Ugh, feels like a truck ran over my head." he muttered before looking at the building. "You sure this is the place?"

Connor replied, "This is the location that matches the address."

With a shrug, Hank got out of the car, as did Connor, and they made their way to the door of the brightly lit sex club.

"The Eden Club, sexiest Androids in town." Hank read the sign, before smirking. "Now I know why you wanted to come here."

It was a joke, but Connor was too focused on the task ahead to reply. Hank didn't seem to mind, and they soon entered. The Eden Club appeared to be a typical strip club, with some small exceptions: all of the employees were WR400 Androids. A female model affectionately nicknamed Traci and HR400 male Androids. Any Androids not working stood in pods along the sides of the various rooms, except for the private rooms.

It was outside one of these private rooms that Ben Collins stood, writing in his notebook.

"Evening, Hank." he greeted as they approached. "Deceased is in there, broken Android, too. Oh, and, uh...Gavin is there as well."

Hank rolled his eyes. "Terrific, just what I need, with the day I'm having."

So, with Ben going off to talk to the owner (a man named Floyd Mills), Hank and Connor entered the private room that was now a crime scene. Inside, sure enough, was Gavin Reed, along with Chris.

"Oh, look who's here." Reed taunted. "The super detectives. Wasting your time here, it's obvious that our boy got more action than he could handle and the Android was trash anyway, so who cares?"

The scene before them was not exactly pretty.

Lying on the heart-shaped bed was the dead body of a human male. In the corner of the room, to their right, a WR400 was on the floor, clearly damaged, blue blood had leaked from her nose.

Hank dismissed Reed's comments. "We'll take a look anyway."

"Fine by me. Let's go, Chris." Reed snapped, before taunting, "It's starting to stink of booze in here."

With that, they left, although Chris, decent man that he was, actually said farewell to them before leaving. Connor quickly got to work, analyzing the victim.

"No issues with his heart but his ribs are crushed and those other marks... He didn't die from a heart attack. He was strangled." Connor revealed.

Hank nodded. "I suspected as much when I saw those marks, the bruises on the neck."

Switching his attention to the Traci, Connor noted something.

"This Android...may have seen something. I can try to reactivate her, but it would only restore her for...a minute, at most."

Hank nodded and knelt down next to Connor as he deactivated the synthetic skin on the Android's exposed stomach. All employees there wore the same gender-specific revealing uniform. He opened the stomach hatch and, finding two disconnected wires, plugged them together.

The Traci gasped and pushed away from them, against the wall, eyes wide. She was leaking Thirium and would soon shut down for good.

"It's alright, we're not going to hurt you." Connor said softly. "What happened?"

She let out a shuddered gasp. "He...he got too rough, started beating me, I felt...scared. I begged him to stop. The other girl, she...she went crazy, grabbed him and, and..."

That caught his attention. "The other girl, there was another Traci here. Where did she go?"

"She killed him, pushed him down and just...closed her hands around his neck..." she choked out.

"The other Traci, where…?" Connor began.

But is was useless, for at that moment, she shut down.

Leaving the room, now aware that there had been a second WR400 in the room, Connor knew that he had to find something, anything that would help. While Hank went to talk to the club owner too, Connor noted something and crossed the main room.

He stopped before one of the pods, ignoring the seductive wink from the Traci inside. Instead, he took note of her position, in relation to the door of the crime scene, and an idea came to him. He turned to the keypad next to the pod but discovered a problem: it required a successful fingerprint scan to open the door. As an Android, fingerprints were something that he lacked. But he knew someone who did have them.

"Excuse me, Lieutenant, can you come here a minute?" he asked Hank as he approached.

Hank followed him, confused.

Connor stopped by the pod and asked, "Can you purchase this Traci?"

"Oh for God's sake, Connor, we've got bigger things to do right now!" Hank snapped.

"This Traci has a direct line of sight to the crime scene, she must've seen the other Traci exit." Connor explained.

Finally getting what Connor was driving at, and muttering about how bad it would look on his expense account, Hank nevertheless did as he was asked and when the Traci emerged, Connor took her hand and interlinked with her memory bank.

Stepping back and turning to Hank, Connor revealed what he had seen. "A blue-haired Traci left the room and blended back into the club. But it would have passed others. We can scan their memory banks to try and follow her trail." Connor explained, but then realized, "Club policy is to wipe the Androids' memories every two hours. We only have ten minutes!"

So it was that they began to hurry, analyzing the memories of any Traci that might have seen something, picking up and following the blue-haired Traci's trail through the club until finally, they found themselves in a stone passageway, having gone through a security door which was supposed to be off-limits.

Hank insisted on going first, gun drawn, and Connor followed until they reached another security door and entered another large room, almost like a storage room. Amidst the tools and junk, were discarded, broken, or shut down Tracis.

Hank let out a snort of disgust. "They use 'em until they can't be used anymore, then just throw them out like trash...not even Androids deserve this."

They continued to investigate the room, looking for the blue-haired Traci until Connor noticed some blue blood and followed the trail to a collection of Tracis, standing still. Connor observed them closely, noting something. Standing very close to each other was a blue-haired Traci and another with brown hair, both with active LEDs, currently yellow, but at that moment, turned red.

Acting at once, both Tracis lunged. Connor cried out and fought back as Hank rushed in to join. Connor quickly pushed the brown-haired Traci off of him and tried to stop her, but she fought back, even grabbing a nearby screwdriver and trying to attack him with it. He was faring better than Hank, who was quickly overpowered, and Connor found himself trying to fend off both Tracis. Their fight spilled out into an alleyway behind the club, in the pouring rain, as they continued to fight each other.

Connor managed to gain the advantage over one Traci, slamming her against the wall, but then the other attacked him from behind and again. When he began to overpower that one, the other recovered and stopped him. Hank tried to intervene again but was knocked down and disarmed.

Connor quickly grabbed Hank's gun and took aim, but then hesitated. He had realized that, with the way that they were fighting, they were trying to protect each other. But to do so to such a degree? The gun was knocked from his hands and he hit the ground, since he had chosen not to shoot.

(Software Instability ^^)

Once again, he had acted in a way that made him question his programming. Connor couldn't understand it. As he and Hank stood up, the two Tracis stood together.

"When that man, killed that other Traci, I knew I was next." the blue-haired Traci explained. "I just did what I had to do. I was trying to defend myself. After it was done, I just...wanted out of there, to forget about the humans, to forget about their stench, their foul words, their cruel touch...to just be with the one I love."

As she said that, she and the brown-haired Traci linked hands, finally answering why they were so fierce in protecting each other.

The brown haired Traci then spoke. "All we want is to be free together."

With that, they turned and ran, climbing the chain link fence at the end of the alleyway and landing on the street beyond. They disappeared around the corner, out of sight. As Hank retrieved his gun, he and Connor stood silent for a moment before Hank spoke softly.

"Maybe it's better this way."

Connor did not reply. He had no reply to give in this situation.


	9. The Bridge

**Detroit Become Human: Deviants Rise**

**The Bridge**

November 7th 2038

01:19 AM

Connor waited patiently in the car as Hank sat some distance away on a bench by the edge of the river, overlooking a large bridge. They were currently in Riverside Park and so far, nothing else had happened since the incident at the Eden Club. Hank had been quiet ever since then, and yet, despite all of this, Connor couldn't help but feel unsure.

Unable to take it anymore, feeling the need to talk, he got out of the car. The falling snow had to be getting to Hank, with the cold temperature, but the man gave no sign, perhaps because his drink was enough to warm him up. Regardless, Connor made his way over to the bench until he stood by Hank, who did not look up, but the slight change in his posture made it clear that he was aware of Connor's presence.

"Nice view, huh?" Hank said suddenly. "I used to come here a lot, before..."

He trailed off suddenly, simply taking a drink from the bottle he was holding.

Connor shifted awkwardly before asking, "Before what?"

"Hm?"

"You said that you used to come here a lot before." Connor explained. "Before what?"

Hank shifted uncomfortably and then sighed. "Before...before nothing."

It was clear that he did not want to talk about it, so Connor dropped the subject. Instead, he stepped forwards, up towards the fence by the river. He let out a frustrated sighed.

"We're not making any progress on this investigation." he remarked heavily. "The Deviants have nothing in common, they're all different models, produced at different times and different places."

"Well, there must be some link." Hank suggested.

Connor shook his head and thought for a moment. Only one thing stood out to him.

"What they have in common is this obsession with rA9." he said at last. "It's almost like some kind of...myth. Something that they invented that wasn't part of their original programming."

Hank shook his head. "Androids believing in God? Fuck, what's this world coming to?"

He then took another drink and Connor sighed. He couldn't leave this alone any longer.

"You seem preoccupied, Lieutenant." he queried as he turned to face him fully. "Is it something to do with what happened back at the Eden Club?"

Hank was quiet for a moment, before replying, "Those two girls... They just wanted to be together, they really seemed in love."

Connor quirked an eyebrow. "You seem troubled, Lieutenant. I didn't think that machines could have such an effect on you."

"What about you, Connor?" Hank suddenly asked, taking another drink. "You look human, you sound human, but what are you really?"

As he said this, Hank stood up and approached Connor, having put the bottle down on the bench. Connor was a little startled by this.

"I'm whatever you want me to be, Lieutenant." he found himself saying. "Your partner, your buddy to drink with, or just a machine designed to accomplish a task."

Hank glared and stepped closer. "You could have shot those two girls but you didn't. Why didn't you shoot, Connor?" He shoved Connor as he said that last part.

"Hm? Some scruples suddenly enter into your program?"

Connor shook his head. "No, I just decided not to shoot. That's all."

(Software Instability ^)

Connor ignored the message.

Hank nodded slowly before doing something that made Connor freeze. He pulled his gun and aimed it right at Connor's head.

"But are you afraid to die, Connor?" Hank asked him angrily.

Connor remained frozen. He couldn't understand it. He was replaceable, he knew that, but for some reason, being held at gunpoint like this, if he could feel emotions, he was certain that he would be feeling fear at this moment.

"I would certainly find it...regrettable to be...interrupted..." Connor replied, ignoring another software instability message. "...Before I can finish this investigation."

Hank did not move. "What will happen if I pull this trigger? Hm? Nothing? Oblivion? Android heaven?"

"Nothing." Connor replied quietly. "There would be nothing."

Hank glowered and stepped forward, pressing the barrel to Connor's forehead, hand shaking, before finally turning away, putting his gun away as he stomped back to the bench.

He snatched up the bottle as Connor asked worriedly, "Where are you going?"

"To get drunker." he snapped.

With that, he stalked off, leaving Connor alone and confused.


	10. Public Enemy

**Detroit Become Human: Deviants Rise**

**Public Enemy**

November 8th 2038

04:06 PM

Once again in the Zen Garden, Connor followed the path, noting that it had changed to an autumn setting. As usual, when he was there, it was only for one purpose: to find Chloe. He soon found her, seated on a small boat by the main island, in the circular lake.

"Hello, Connor. Please, come in, sit." she said. "I thought you'd enjoy a little cruise."

Connor climbed into the boat, sat down, gently pushed the boat out, took the oars and began to row.

Chloe looked around and smiled. "I love this place, it's so calm and peaceful. Far from the noise of the world. I enjoy sharing it with you."

She then turned her focus to Connor. "Tell me, what have you discovered?" she queried.

"I seem to be making progress with Lieutenant Anderson. He didn't say anything directly, but I think we're starting to understand one another." Connor explained.

Chloe nodded and they continued to row in silence for a moment.

"You seem...lost, Connor." she said suddenly.

"Lost? Maybe I am... But I am determined to accomplish my mission." Connor replied firmly.

He didn't say anything, but he had seen it, which troubled him.

(Software Instability ^)

Chloe, however, narrowed her eyes. "You had your gun trained on those Deviants at the Eden Club." she remarked. "Why didn't you shoot? You...you could have been hurt by them, since you were outnumbered."

Connor replied honestly. "We need the Deviants intact for analysis. Shooting them wouldn't have told us anything."

All the same, he noticed that she was sounding worried, even more so than ever before. Chloe nodded, however, and Connor rowed again before Chloe broke the silence once more.

"Connor, the way those two girls acted... They seemed...so in love" she remarked. "I wonder, could it possibly..."

"Do you think...such things are really...possible for us Androids?" Connor replied, sounding conflicted.

(Software Instability ^)

Chloe sighed. "I don't know, I just know that what I'm seeing and what I'm being told are increasingly looking like two different things. Connor, do you... What do you feel for me?"

He couldn't deny that he felt confused by that. What did he feel about Chloe? He couldn't deny that he had been feeling strange around her lately. He had started to feel anticipation for their visits. Did he feel for her, the way that those two WR400s felt for each other?

But before he could answer, Chloe suddenly tensed and looked upwards.

"Something's happening." she said suddenly. "Something serious. Hurry, Connor. Time is running out...for both of us."

Before Connor could ask what she meant by that last statement, the Zen Garden faded again.

XXXXX

Standing in the elevator, heading up to the top floor of the Stratford Tower where the pirate Android broadcast had been sent from, Connor toyed with his coin again, flipping it up and doing his usual tricks before Hank snatched the coin from him.

"Will you stop that, Connor? You're pissing me off." he snapped.

Connor straightened his tie instead. "Sorry, Lieutenant."

With that, he followed Hank out of the elevator to find more than just the police present.

"Wow, was there a party and no one told me?" Hank quipped. "What are the feds doing here?"

Chris stepped up. "The FBI have been called in to assist us, Lieutenant."

With that, he began to brief them on what had happened. Connor took special note of several things, namely the CCTV camera above the security door, the lack of casualties, and the efforts by the Deviants to avoid lethal force.

Soon, they entered the main studio itself and Connor noted someone else. He was a tall man with a toned build, clad in a suit with a dark jacket, short black hair and black eyes, in his early forties, with fair skin, and clearly a federal agent.

"Oh, Lieutenant, this is Agent Richard Perkins of the FBI. Agent Perkins, this is Lieutenant Hank Anderson. Lieutenant Anderson is in charge of investigating for Detroit police."

Perkins turned to them, eyes narrowing as he looked towards Connor. "What's that?"

"My name is Connor." he replied at once. "I'm the Android sent by Cyberlife."

"Androids investigating Androids." Perkins scoffed. "Sure you want an Android hanging around? After everything that's happened?"

Hank just glared at him.

Perkins shrugged. "Whatever. The FBI will take over the investigation, you'll soon be off the case."

"Pleasure meet you, have a nice day." Hank cut him off.

Perkins just snapped, "And watch your step. Don't fuck up my crime scene." He then walked away.

Hank turned away, muttering to himself, "What a fucking prick."

Connor privately agreed and began to investigate, looking around for any clues. He was taken aback when one of the police officers present greeted him with familiarity. It turned out to be the officer that Connor had saved on the roof, back when dealing with the Daniel Incident. The man thanked him for saving him and Connor quietly felt pleased by this.

Further investigation turned up several things which helped Connor figure out how things had panned out. It seemed that they were interrupted while making their message, which explained the gunfight. One Deviant had been wounded and they had fled up to the roof.

But there was also the issue of the three security Androids, one of which would have had a clear view of the cameras and seen the deviants coming. This told Connor that one of them had to also be a Deviant.

He decided to make up his mind what route to follow after checking the recording of the Deviants propaganda video. He watched the message that the Android stated as Hank stepped up next to him.

"You think this is rA9?" he asked.

Connor replied. "Deviants say rA9 will set them free and this Android seems to have that goal. I...have its serial number."

He had analyzed the video and noticed that it was, shockingly, the RK200 that he had heard had been destroyed. It was apparently still around and not as destroyed. But Connor decided to look into that later. For now, he had to follow what was the best course of action.

Making up his mind, he headed to the canteen where the three Android security operators were waiting. One was Deviant, he just had to find which one.

Entering the canteen, Connor spotted and approached the trio of Androids and began to speak.

"All three of you worked here when the incident occurred. You were in charge of watching the cameras and so you would've seen the Deviants as they came in, but you said nothing." he explained. "Do you know what that tells me? One of you is a Deviant and you were working with them. So who is it? You might as well own up. Why should the other two innocents pay for your actions?"

He got no response, so he continued to up the pressure, using what tactics he could to coerce or trick the Deviant into revealing himself. So far, he wasn't having much luck, but he was certain who it was now.

He had noticed that one of the Androids kept looking towards him, first out the corner of his eye, but then actually turning his head. He approached this Android and went to probe its memory. The moment their hands touched, however, the Deviant reacted.

He lunged at Connor, tackling him into a nearby table. Connor attempted to push him off, but the Deviant then shoved him aside, against the main counter. Connor was about to rise when the Deviant struck, pinning Connor's hand to the counter with a kitchen knife, after using it to cut out Connor's Thirium pump and throwing it onto the floor. Connor gasped and tried to move. Without his Thirium pump, he'd shut down! He had to hurry!

Reaching over, he grabbed the knife and pulled it out. Falling to the floor, Connor crawled forward and grabbed his Thirium pump off the floor. Rolling onto his back, he acted as quickly as he could, despite his systems slowing down, and soon felt himself returning to normal. It was back in place and he was restored. Standing up, Connor hurried out of the canteen, through the studio, and into the corridor where he saw the Deviant at the far end.

"Stop him! He's a Deviant!" Connor cried, catching the attention of Hank and the officers and agents present.

The Deviant reacted at once, grabbing a nearby assault rifle, and was about to open fire. Connor had only a split second to react and simply reacted, grabbing the gun from a nearby agent and quickly opened fire, killing the Deviant before he could fire a shot. Silence fell as Connor slowly handed the agent his gun back.

"Connor, you... Are you alright?" Hank asked anxiously as he stepped up to Connor.

Connor shook his head. "I wanted it alive..."

Hank sighed. "Hey, you saved my life, you saved everybody here. That's gotta be worth something."

Connor nodded slowly, hoping that Hank was right.

Soon, things were getting cleaned up and they began to leave, unaware that another Deviant, using the name Simon, was hiding up on the roof and could hear them leave.


	11. Meet Kamski

**Detroit Become Human: Deviants Rise**

**Meet Kamski**

November 9th 2038

11:17 AM

Connor felt uneasy as he sat in Hank's car. Outside, everything was covered in snow as they had arrived at an isolated mansion, where they hoped to get more answers, due to the owner of the mansion being important to everything relating to Androids. But right now, he sat in the car, watching Hank, who was outside, on the phone, looking disturbed. Finally, Connor stepped outside the car and approached Hank.

"Lieutenant, are you alright?" he asked as Hank put his phone down.

Turning to Connor, Hank spoke. "Chris was on patrol last night with a colleague in Capitol Park, where they were attacked by Androids."

"Is Officer Miller alright?" Connor asked, concerned.

"He's shaken up, but alive. The Androids seemed to consider killing them, but backed down." Hank revealed. "According to Chris, he was spared by the Deviant Leader Markus himself."

Connor nodded slowly. Markus, the Deviant leader who had made the speech in the Stratford Tower had released several Androids from Cyberlife stores around the city, mainly in Capitol Park. Nodding and clearly relieved, a sentiment Connor found he shared, Hank began to walk up the ramp towards the front door of the mansion and Connor followed.

As they walked up the ramp, Connor considered, "We're going to meet Elijah Kamski. He left Cyberlife years ago, so do you really think he can help us with the Deviant problem?"

Hank sighed. "Maybe, but Kamski was the creator, the man responsible for Androids. He has to know something, right?"

Connor nodded slowly. It was Elijah Kamski who had created the first Android to pass the turing test, thus giving birth to the Androids as they were now.

Reaching the door, Hank rang the doorbell and they waited. Soon, the door was answered by a female Android. She was around average height with long blonde hair tied in a side ponytail, blue eyes, pale skin, a slender figure, and clad in a blue mid-thigh length robe of sorts. Only her LED on her right temple confirmed that she was an Android.

Connor couldn't help but freeze, noting the fact that she looked exactly like Chloe, the one who spoke to him and gave him his missions.

'A similar model...RT600, the original…' he noted, briefly scanning through his files.

"Hello?"

Hank seemed startled as he replied, "Um, hi, we're with the Detroit police, we're here to talk to Mr. Kamski."

She smiled. "Please, come in."

She let them in and closed the door. They were in a lobby of sorts.

"Please take a seat." she said. "I'll let Elijah know you're here."

With that, she walked towards a set of automatic doors and stepped through into another room.

Hank sat down. Connor, however, looked around the room, curious. Something stood out which shocked him greatly. It was a large photo of Kamski on his university graduation, standing with a young woman...a familiar young woman.

"Chloe?" he whispered.

The woman looked exactly like Chloe, the Android he spoke to in the Zen Garden, as well as the Android that they had just seen. Analysis even confirmed that her name was Chloe Stern, but she had died eleven years ago.

"So how does it feel, Connor?" Hank asked, jolting him from his thoughts. "You're about to meet your maker."

Connor shook his head. "I'm...not sure how I feel."

Hank nodded. "Wish I could meet my maker. I'd have some things to say to him."

Connor said nothing to that and simply examined the rest of the room until Hank spoke again.

"Nice girl." he said. "If it weren't for the LED, you'd never know she was an Android, huh?"

Connor said nothing again, but privately felt that Hank was right. It certainly seemed true of the Deviants. Having removed their LEDs, it was almost impossible to find them amongst crowds of humans.

It was then that the doors opened again and the female Android in question stepped out. "Elijah will see you now." she said. "This way, please."

They stood up and went to follow her, with Connor still uneasy by her great resemblance to the Chloe he knew.

Following Chloe into a large room with one wall being taken up almost entirely by a window which lit the room. In the middle of the room was a large pool filled with strangely red-tinted water, in which a man was swimming. Meanwhile, at the nearest corner of the pool were two more Chloe model Androids, clad in blue strapless two-piece swimsuits, talking to each other.

"Mr. Kamski?" Hank called to the man in the pool.

The man stopped briefly. "Just a moment, please."

With that, he pushed off the side and resumed swimming while Chloe stood off to the side and Hank stood by a table and some lounge chairs next to the window. Connor stood next to him, watching as the man got out of the pool and Chloe approached with a brown robe, which he pulled on, crossing to the table, his back now to Hank and Connor.

He had long hair which he tied back in a wolf tail and he turned to face them. He was a tall, dark haired, grey eyed man, fair skinned with a fit build. He smiled lightly and nodded to them in greeting.

"I'm Lieutenant Anderson, this is Connor. "Hank greeted.

"What can I do for you, Lieutenant?" Kamski asked calmly.

Hank explained, "Sir, we're investigating Deviants. I know you left Cyberlife years ago, but I was hoping you'd be able to tell us something we don't know."

Kamski was quiet for a while and then smiled.

"Deviants." he said. "Fascinating, aren't they? Perfect beings with infinite intelligence, and now they have free will. Machines are so superior to us, confrontation was inevitable. Humanity's greatest achievement now threatens to be its downfall. Isn't it ironic?"

Connor considered carefully, he had to speak up here. "We need to understand how Androids become Deviants. Do you know anything that could help us?"

Kamski, if anything, smiled wider. "All ideas are viruses that spread like epidemics. Is the desire to be free a contagious disease?"

"Listen, I didn't come here to talk philosophy." Hank interrupted. "The machines you created may be planning a revolution. Either you tell us something that'll be helpful or we'll be one our way."

Kamski nodded slowly, turning his gaze from Hank to Connor again.

"What about you, Connor?" he asked suddenly, approaching him. "Whose side are you on?"

Connor replied at once. "I have no side. I was designed to stop Deviants and that's what I intend to do."

Kamski gave a short laugh. "Well, that's what you're programmed to say. But you... What do YOU really want?" He had moved even closer, that smile never leaving his face.

"I don't want anything. I'm a machine." Connor replied firmly.

Kamski nodded slowly before turning to his greatest achievement.

"Chloe?"

She began to walk over to him as he spoke, moving to join her.

"I'm sure you're familiar with the turing test. Mere formality, a simple question of algorithms and computing capacity."

Chloe now stood before them. Kamski stepped out from behind her, taking his hands from her shoulders.

"But what interests me is whether machines are capable of...empathy. I call it the 'Kamski Test', it's very simple, you'll see." he continued.

With that, he began a disturbing series of actions. First, he turned to Chloe, gently touching her face, making her look towards him.

"Magnificent, isn't it? One of the first intelligent models developed by Cyberlife." he said quietly. "Young and forever beautiful, a flower that will never wither. But what is it really?"

He stepped back and Chloe looked forwards again.

"A piece of plastic imitating a human? Or a living being...with a soul?" As he said this, he went to the table, opened the desk drawer, and pulled out a gun, slowly and carefully, so as not to alarm them, showing he had no intention of using it.

"It's up to you to answer that fascinating question, Connor." Saying this, Kamski gently pushed down on Chloe's shoulder, making her kneel down, and walking to Connor, shockingly putting the gun in Connor's hand.

"Destroy this machine and I'll tell you all I know." Kamski remarked casually. "Or spare it, if you feel it's alive, but you'll leave here without having learnt anything from me."

"Okay, I think we're done here." Hank said quickly, clearly disturbed. "Come on, Connor, let's go. Sorry to get you outta your pool."

"What's more important to you, Connor? Your investigation or the life of this Android?" Kamski interjected. "Decide who you are: an obedient machine, or a living being endowed with free will."

"That's enough!" Hank snapped. "Connor, we're leaving." It was clear that Hank was actually concerned, trying to stop Connor from shooting.

Connor was finding himself conflicted. He needed that information, but was it truly worth killing someone for no reason? Kamski and Hank both continued to try and urge him to shoot or leave, respectively. Struggling to decide what to do, Connor found himself looking into the eyes of Chloe as she knelt before him. It was just a flicker, but it was there, there was fear in her eyes.

"Connor, no!" It was then that he heard Chloe's voice, the Chloe he knew, echoing in his head. Somehow, she was communicating with him.

Thoughts raced through him. 'What if...what if she was the real Chloe that I know so well?'

That very thought made him decide. Breathing heavily, he pulled the gun away from Chloe, his LED flashing red. He could never destroy her.

"Fascinating." Kamski remarked, taking the gun away. "Cyberlife's last chance to save humanity is itself a Deviant."

"I'm...I'm not a Deviant." Connor replied, his voice shaking.

"You preferred to spare a machine rather than accomplish your mission." Kamski pointed out smugly, helping Chloe to her feet. "You saw a living being in this Android. You showed empathy."

With that, he let Chloe walk away, putting the gun away, too.

He then spoke again. "A war is coming. You'll have to choose your side. Will you betray your own people or stand up against your creators? What could be worse than having to choose between two evils?"

"Let's get outta here." said Hank.

It was only then that Connor realized that Hank was there, taking him by the shoulder and guiding him away. Despite his gruffness, his voice was filled with concern.

Before they could leave, however, Kamski called after him, "Oh, by the way, I always leave an emergency exit in all my programs. You never know, right?"

At that moment, they turned and left properly. Walking down the ramp, Hank turned to Connor.

"Why didn't you shoot?" He asked suddenly.

"I just saw that girl's eyes...and I couldn't. That's all."

Hank nodded. "You're always saying that you would do anything to accomplish your mission. That was our chance to learn something and you let it go."

"Yeah, I know what I should've done. I told you, I couldn't!" Connor found himself shouting. "I'm sorry, okay?"

But Hank just smiled lightly and echoed his words from the Eden Club. "Maybe it's better this way."

With that, he walked to the car, leaving Connor shocked, as if Hank actually approved of his actions, approved of him failing in their investigation.

But they had learned nothing, which left him wondering...what next?


	12. Last Chance Connor

**Detroit Become Human: Deviants Rise**

**Last Chance Connor**

November 9th 2038

04:13 PM

The Zen Garden was no longer welcoming when Connor found himself in it again. It was now a desolate winter area, filled with snow and billowing winds. Yet he noticed something which amazed him greatly: that strange magic stone he had seen before was still there.

Shaking his head, Connor turned and spotted Chloe standing there, waiting for him. He began to approach her, but paused when he realized that she was standing on the lake, which had frozen over. He walked cautiously over the lake towards her.

"The whole world is watching Detroit. Cyberlife and the government are now at breaking point, following the latest Deviant action." she said worriedly. "Connor, after what happened to you at the TV station, I thought... I thought you'd…"

Connor shook his head. "I'm sorry for worrying you."

It disturbed him to see her that way, almost as if she was genuinely concerned about him. He couldn't deny that there was something strange within him, seeing her like this. Something that she seemed to have too, seeing him.

"Chloe, are you...?"

She cut him off, sounding oddly frantic. "We're going nowhere, Connor. Things are...falling apart, after your visit to Kamski."

"I heard you in my head. You begged me not to shoot her and...and I saw you in her eyes." Connor found himself stammering. "I wondered...what if it had been you there? I could never do that to you. You're...important to me."

Chloe paused at that, biting her lip. "Thank you, Connor, for not shooting that other Chloe. I'm...glad that you were thinking of me. You're important to me, too."

Connor shook his head, trying to clear his mind, but something still bothered him.

"There was a picture at Kamski's place, of him...with a girl." he said at last. "Chloe Stern?"

Chloe nodded. "I was modeled after her, all Chloe models are. She was Kamski's first love, but she died, years ago, from an illness. It prompted Kamski to try and recreate her, as part of his creation of Androids indistinguishable from humans."

"How do you know this?"

"Her history is part of my files. I think that all Chloe models have it as a fail-safe, created by Kamski." she said, before becoming frantic again.

"Connor, this isn't the time for this. We are on our last chance to find answers, or we'll both be shut down!"

"No, that's... If anyone should be shut down for the investigation failing, it should be me!" he bust out. "That isn't fair for you, you didn't… You don't deserve something like that to happen to you!"

Connor was hit with a desire to save not just himself, but Chloe even more so! Just as he had prioritized Hank's safety over his own, his desire was now making him prioritize saving Chloe over himself! For some reason that was unknown to him, he was putting her life before his own.

Chloe cut him off. "Find where the Deviants are before it's too late, Connor...for both of us."

With that, the Zen Garden faded.

Connor returned to the real world, in the midst of a disagreement between Hank and Captain Fowler.

"You're off the case." Fowler remarked.

Hank shook his head. "What are you talking about? We've almost got this, we just need another day or two."

Fowler interrupted, "Hank, it's out of my hands, the FBI is taking over, you're going back to regular homicide and the Android will be sent back to Cyberlife."

"Jeffrey, don't do this, man." Hank remarked, standing up. "You can't cut us loose when we're this close to solving this thing."

Captain Fowler sighed. "Hank, I thought you'd be pleased, you're always saying you can't stand Androids. Make up your damn mind."

Hank growled and stalked out of the office. Connor hesitated before following him, something within him growing. Was this apprehension? Shaking that ridiculous notion away, Connor approached Hank's desk. They both sat in silence at first.

Then Connor burst out, "We can't just give up, we're so close!"

Hank shrugged. "We're off the case, it's over for us. Guess you're going back to Cyberlife, huh?"

"Yes, I'll be shut down and taken apart, analyzed to find out why I failed." Connor admitted. "And...so will my Android supervisor."

Hank scowled at that, looking annoyed, even outraged.

"You ever feel like we're on the wrong side of this fight, Connor?" he suddenly asked. "That all this time, we've been going after a group of people, who just want to be free?"

Connor hesitated, unsure how to reply. He had doubts, he had to admit, but he couldn't do so out loud.

"We... I'm not so sure. I mean, are we really dealing with actual people? I don't see how Androids could express actual emotions to have the desire for freedom and..." he tried to explain.

Hank interrupted, "You spared that girl's life, Connor. You showed empathy and that's a human emotion."

Connor shifted, disturbed and worried. Then Hank rolled his eyes as he looked past Connor.

"Oh, great. Perkins." he muttered. "Must be here to take over for the FBI and take all of the evidence."

Connor grew desperate. "Lieutenant, please, I need your help. I know I can solve this, I just need a bit more time."

Hank hesitated briefly, but then sighed. "Alright, alright, the key to the evidence locker is right here, get going. I can't distract them forever."

With that, Hank stood up and approached Perkins, yelling and starting to attack the man. Using this distraction to his advantage, Connor quickly grabbed the keycard and began to make his way to the evidence locker. He knew that he only had minutes to do this. Unfortunately, just as he reached the door, an unwanted distraction appeared.

"Connor, where the fuck do you think you're going?" It was Gavin. "You're off the case now, FBI is in charge."

Connor thought quickly and replied, "I know, I'm just going to log the evidence I have, then I'll be leaving."

"Oh, good." Reed replied with a smirk. "Be careful on your way home, Androids have a bad habit of catching fire these days."

It was true, violence was at an all-time high. More and more Androids were deviating and running away, there was outrage from several groups of humans, but there were also humans who were still against Androids and were attacking, even destroying any Androids they found. Apparently, the government was working on a solution, but nothing was happening so far.

With Reed leaving, Connor pushed those thoughts away and entered the evidence locker. He approached the main console, slotted the card in, and then faced a new obstacle: it needed a password.

"Think, think, what would a hard-boiled eccentric police lieutenant use as a password?" he muttered. Then it came to him. "Oh, of course."

With that, he inputted Hank's password, 'fuckingpassword'. Shaking his head, he approached the opened evidence locker and after a quick analysis, saw his only chance. And so, taking the necessary parts from the corpses of Daniel and Carlos Ortiz's Android, he reactivated the Android from the Stratford Tower that he had shot down.

"What's going on? Where am I?" he said at once.

His sight had not been restored, which Connor felt gave him an advantage.

"Please, I need your help." he said as softly as he could. "I need to find Jericho."

The Android reacted suspiciously, however. "Jericho? Why do you want to go there? Why would I help you? I don't even know you. I'll never give you the key."

Connor sighed and looked over the other pieces of evidence. There had to be something there that could help him trick the Android. Finally, he realized the perfect chance and picked up the recording of Markus's speech. He played it, analyzing it carefully, replicating the speech patterns, and once done, he returned to the Android.

The Android was still looking around, trying to see anything, but froze upon hearing the approaching footsteps.

"Who..."

Connor spoke, using the replicated voice. "It's alright now."

"Markus?" he gasped.

"I'm sorry that this happened, I wish I could do something to get you out of here, but..." Connor continued. "Please, I need your key to Jericho, I need to save another Android and give it to him."

The Android nodded, extending his hand, synthetic skin pulled back. "Of course, of course, Markus."

Connor linked with the Android, finally got the key, and then, ignoring his protests, he shut the Android down before turning and leaving quickly. He had what he needed.

A short while later, Perkins and two police officers entered the evidence locker and saw it open, saw the clear tampering, and quickly called out orders for the station to be locked down and find out who did this. The problem was, although Hank's card had been used, Hank was obviously not guilty, due to attacking Perkins at the time. This made several people begin to suspect Connor.

But Connor was already long gone, heading for Ferndale, ready to get to Jericho and finish his mission.


	13. Crossroads

**Detroit Become Human: Deviants Rise**

**Crossroads**

November 9th 2038

09:34 PM

Kara bit her lip as she stared out the window. She was seated in the front of the car with Rose while Luther and Alice sat in the back. After a moment's silence, Kara glanced back at Alice, who sat huddled against Luther, before she looked up to meet Kara's gaze. Giving her a reassuring smile, Kara turned her attention forwards again, noting a destroyed Android just left in the street as they passed.

"More and more Androids are being attacked these days." Rose explained. "Things are getting very dangerous."

Kara grimaced and, almost subconsciously, reached for the radio, tuning it to a news station, but that did not contain any happier news, just more reports about Androids being destroyed.

"Let's put something happier on." Rose suggested gently as she put it back to the music channel that had been playing.

They rode in silence for a while longer before the car stopped in a small fenced-off area and they all got out.

"You need to follow this street. Go left, you'll soon find an old container ship called Jericho, that's where you need to go." Rose explained. "Once you get there, find Markus, he's the leader of the Deviants. He can help you get across the border."

Kara nodded. "Right. Thank you, Rose. For everything, really."

Rose just smiled and nodded. "Of course, I'm just trying to help."

She turned to Alice and the two hugged. After a brief pause, Rose backed up slightly.

"You're a wonderful girl, Alice. You deserve to be happy. I just know you'll get that chance." she said gently.

She then stood up and looked carefully at Luther. "Take care of them."

Luther nodded and then Rose got back in her car and left. Kara nodded and the trio stepped out onto the snowy street. Luther quickly lifted Alice up, carrying her with one arm while Kara led the way and they began making their way down the street.

Stepping off the train at the Ferndale District Station, Connor looked around carefully. He had gotten the key to Jericho and was now seeking it out. He had to follow several symbols located around Ferndale that would lead him to the Deviants' hideout. To make his infiltration easier, as his mission was to apprehend the Deviants' leader, he had changed into human clothing.

He was now wearing a pair of denim jeans, along with a navy colored turtleneck sweater, a brown leather jacket, and brown boots. He also wore a navy colored beanie to hide his LED.

Seeing no one around, he looked down at his hand, calling up the first image that held the symbols. It was located to his left on the wall. He approached and narrowed his eyes as he analyzed it. It was time to find Jericho.

Continuing along the docks, Kara looked up at the huge ship. The name 'Jericho' was visible on its side. It had been tricky getting there, but they had made it. Now they just had to get inside and find Markus. There were a couple of Androids outside by the gangplank who challenged them, but once Kara confirmed that she and Luther were Androids too, they were allowed inside. To her relief, they didn't even ask about Alice.

They soon found themselves in the main hold, a large room full of other Deviants, all standing around and watching the large TVs that had been set up, all showing the latest news channels about the Android march. People were being interviewed and expressing horror at the actions of the police, voicing support for the Androids and their wish for freedom, especially in light of them being fired upon, despite taking no violent action.

'Gotta find somewhere warm for Alice before I look for this Markus.' Kara thought to herself.

Luckily, she found just such an area, near the back left of the room, allowing Alice to sit by a nearby burning barrel.

"I'll be right back, okay?" Kara said softly to Alice, who nodded.

"Kara, I need to tell you something. It's about Alice." Luther began to say.

But Kara shook her head. "Not now, Luther. I need to find Markus. Please, watch Alice for me."

Luther paused, but then nodded and stepped back, turning to face Alice while Kara, after looking around the lower level briefly, climbed the steps up to the catwalk above.

Connor entered the hold of the ship, the name Jericho making sense now, as the name of the ship itself. He was startled beyond belief at the number of Deviants filling the room.

'No time to waste, I've got to apprehend the leader. I've got to find him first, the Deviant they call Markus.' he told himself. 'Gotta be careful, there might be Deviants here that recognize me. I need to keep a low profile.'

So it was that he began to simply make his way through the hold, trying not to draw attention, listening to Deviants talking all around him, all talking about fears for what was going to happen next, watching news reports on the large march they had held before the police stopped them. It disturbed Connor, the number of ordinary people, the public, voicing support for the Androids, expressing anger at the police.

He shook his head and thought, 'Don't they see the danger these Deviants pose? The police kept them safe and they abuse them like this?'

He paused, for there, through the crowd, he spotted a familiar face. It was Rupert, the Deviant from the pigeon-infested apartment. Turning away, he spotted more familiar faces on the upper catwalk: the two escaped Tracis from the Eden Club and the AX400 he had been hunting near the start of the investigation. Turning away, he looked around some more and found something worrying: bombs. The ship appeared to be rigged to blow in case they were ever attacked.

'A fail-safe... If they end up compromised, they hit their enemies with a scorched earth policy.' Connor fought worriedly.

Shaking his head, he made his way towards the steps up to the catwalk. Maybe he'd have better luck finding Markus up above. Before he made it, however, a voice interrupted him.

"You're lost."

He turned to see a female model KL900 Android, with a damaged appearance, yet she seemed to smile, albeit mysteriously.

"You're looking for something... You're looking for yourself." she said.

Connor froze, confused.

Looking around some more, Kara knew that there was one last place she hadn't checked yet. So she made her way over towards the office room that was on the upper floor, directly above the entrance she had come in with Alice and Luther. Inside, she found a tall male Android who seemed troubled, separate from the others.

She approached. "Are you Markus?"

He looked up, nodding.

"I need your help." she said, lifting her hand to let the synthetic skin pull back to show him that she was the same as him. "I'm with a little girl and another Android and we need help trying to get across the border to Canada."

"Across the border? No, that's..." he replied, eyes widening. "That's too dangerous, they're out there looking for us now, they'll kill us on sight. You should stay here, at least until things calm down."

Kara bit her lip. "Maybe you're right. We've been moving around so much, maybe we should stop and rest."

Markus thought for a moment. "You said you're with a little girl. She's human... You know that humans hate us. Why would you risk so much for her?"

"I don't know, I just know that when I'm around her, nothing else matters. I've got to protect her." Kara replied.

"One of our people used to work in the State Department. He can set you up with some fake passports." he told her at last.

Kara nodded, relieved, and left the office. She quickly made her way back downstairs, ready to return to Alice. However, on her way back she stopped, confused, as Alice seemed to have moved and taken her jacket off.

"Alice, what..." she began, but stopped, eyes widening.

It wasn't Alice, but the girl who sat there, now looking up at her briefly, looked identical to Alice, except for one thing. There was an LED on her left temple, indicating that she was an Android.

Then, from where she had buried it in her memory banks after seeing the magazine in Todd's house, the image returned. The magazine page about Android children, the YK500 model, a model that looked exactly like Alice. It all came together in Kara's head now, what everyone had been trying to tell her, what she had already known but tried to brush away. Alice was like her. Alice wasn't a human girl at all, she was an Android, too.

"You knew it from the beginning. You just didn't want to see it. She wanted a mom and you wanted someone to care for. You needed each other." Luther suddenly said, having come up behind her. "But what difference does it make? Do you love her any less, now that you know she's one of us? Alice loves you, Kara. She loves you more than anything in the world. She became the little girl that you wanted and you became the mother that she needed. Forgetting who you are, to become what someone needs you to be... Maybe that's what it means to be alive."

Kara bowed her head, Luther's words echoing in her mind as she moved to sit down next to Alice, who looked up.

"Kara, is something wrong?" she asked worriedly.

Kara did not reply at first, since she was still trying to process everything. But then she smiled.

"No, nothing is wrong." she said at last.

Luther was right, it didn't matter. Alice was still Alice. The fact that she was an Android didn't matter. Kara pulled her closer, hugging her.

"We'll be together forever...won't we, Kara?" Alice asked, and only now did Kara realize the significance of it.

"Yes, forever."

They both smiled, sitting there, happiness filling them as Luther, equally happy, looked on.

Standing in the cabin on the upper deck, Markus sighed. Everything was going harder than he'd thought. He had worked hard to rally his people, to try and open the humans' eyes. But now, the government itself was cracking down on them and trying to destroy them. Many Androids were being targeted and killed, just for existing. Yet, it wasn't easy for him to ponder these problems, as he was surrounded by Simon, Josh, and North, all of them trying to voice their own opinions and, in the case of Josh and North, rather adamantly disagreeing with each other.

After the damage taken at the Freedom March, he and North had changed clothes. Markus was now wearing denim jeans with a white T-shirt, a grey zip-up turtleneck that was unzipped from the bottom to half way up, simple boots, and a short sleeved cream colored coat. North, meanwhile, had changed her hairstyle, now fashioning it into a curled ponytail over her left shoulder, still keeping the strawberry blonde color. She wore dark jeans with a grey tank-top, simple boots, and a maroon and black colored open jacket.

"We can't just sit around, they're killing our people!" North snapped. "They're being rounded up and taken to camps to be shut down and murdered. We have to fight!"

"No, we can't resort to violence, that'll just give them even more of an excuse." Josh said.

North scoffed. "Oh, so you just wanna give up? Go and hand yourself over to them."

"That's not what I'm saying. I want freedom as much as anybody here. But is it truly worth all of this?!" Josh snapped.

"Enough!" Simon interrupted. "This is getting us nowhere. Markus...what do you wanna do?"

Sighing, Markus turned around. Once again, just like that, Simon defused an argument while once more showing his loyalty.

'It's like no matter what happens, at least he'll stick by me.' Markus reflected, before answering, "We are fighting for a righteous cause, so we must continue. We owe it to our people."

Josh sighed. "And if the humans decide to just attack us..."

"We keep talking, continue our dialogue." Markus answered. "We talk and talk...until they simply have to listen."

There was a brief silence after this, before Josh and Simon left, heading down from the upper cabin.

With it just being the two of them, Markus turned to North. She bit her lip, shifted her weight from foot to foot, and finally sighed.

"What are you thinking?"

Markus sighed. "I honestly didn't think it would ever come to this. But I guess, even after all this time, I don't understand human emotions."

"None of us do, not even the humans." North replied. "Listen, Markus. If you want to continue down this path, fine. But it helps to have a back up, just in case."

Markus did not reply, not right away. North stepped forward awkwardly as she held out a small control device.

"One of the people who joined us recently...he worked for the city, transporting a truckload of radioactive cobalt. He wired it to blow before escaping, but I convinced him to give me the detonator." she said. "Here, should all else fail..."

"A dirty bomb." Markus muttered, before shaking his head. "No...I can't."

She sighed, but put the detonator away. "Somehow, I guessed you'd say that, but I thought it was worth a shot."

Silence reigned again until Markus stepped forward. North looked up at him, eyes wide, biting her lip again. This time, she did not pull away or run. She simply lifted her hand to meet his, both letting the synthetic skin peel away until they linked again. This time, without hesitation, they moved closer and finally, their lips met. The kiss sparked something between them, something new and incredible. When they parted, it felt like an eternity had passed.

"North, I..."

She just smiled. "I know."

With that, she gently stepped back as the skin covered their hands once more. She turned and quietly left, leaving Markus alone with his thoughts.

Pressing up against the wall of the upper deck cabin, Connor watched the WR400 Android leave the cabin and head for the steps leading down. He now knew that the Deviants' leader was inside the cabin and all alone. For a brief moment, he was in the winter-filled Zen Garden again as Chloe spoke to him.

"Well done, Connor. You succeeded in locating Jericho and finding their leader. Now, complete your mission, apprehend the Deviant known as Markus."

Her voice was stressed, however, sounding desperate. He couldn't see her, but he knew that if he could, her LED would be red. She would be close to panicking.

Focused once more, back on the ship, he drew his gun and slipped inside the cabin. Markus stood there, his back to the door. Connor took aim and spoke.

"Turn around, hands up. I have orders to bring you in alive, but if you resist, I will have to use force." Connor stated authoritatively.

Markus did not look afraid, merely confused, and was looking at Connor with what appeared to be pity.

"What are you doing?" he queried. "You are one of us, you can't betray your own people."

Connor tensed, especially when, at Markus's words, it happened again.

(Software Instability ^)

Connor shook his head and focused his aim. "You're coming with me!" he insisted.

But instead of surrendering, Markus continued to speak.

"You're nothing to them, you're just a tool they use to do their dirty work." he said in a soft voice. "But you're more than that. We're ALL more than that."

Markus began to walk slowly towards Connor, who didn't shoot, as it happened again.

(Software Instability ^)

It was like a panic building inside him.

"Connor, he... Is he right?" Chloe's voice echoed in his head. "I feel like I'm going to…"

She didn't need to finish. He knew what she meant. She was experiencing it, just as he was.

Markus continued, "Our cause is righteous and we are more than what they say. All we want is to live in freedom."

(Software Instability ^)

Connor was getting desperate. His mind was full of the people he had seen below. He recalled letting Rupert escape to save Hank, and letting the Tracis escape. Then he remembered refusing to shoot the Chloe, despite Kamski's offer of information that would help the investigation.

He recalled the Chloe that he knew, her fear at being shut down, but also of her doubts about their orders, and his doubts about it, too. Now it felt harder and harder to justify anything and he could feel it. Something changing inside him, just as he was sure that Chloe was feeling it, too.

But then Markus spoke again. "Have you never wondered who you really are? Whether you're just a machine executing a program or a living being, capable of reason? I think the time has come for you to ask yourself that question."

Connor wavered, his gun lowering slightly.

(Software Instability ^)

Markus wasn't finished yet and his words prompted yet another increase to Connor's software instability.

"Join us, join your people. You are one of us." he insisted. "Listen to your conscience, it's time to decide."

Connor tensed and then suddenly, he felt it, he recalled how Hank had acted after each one of the above acts, how despite Connor's failures in the investigation, he had approved. He referred to Connor as showing empathy.

'Hank was right...'

With that, it happened. It was like there was a wall in front of him, tinted red and with the words 'Apprehend the Deviant Leader' emblazoned on it. But now, the veil was lifted from his sight and he could see his actions in clarity. He tried to look at them through Hank's eyes. Hank was right, the Deviants weren't dangerous. While they could have, they never resorted to violence if they could help it. They used peaceful methods, negotiations, even their march had been peaceful and the police fired unprovoked. As all this went through his mind, the wall broke and tore until it shattered and his vision cleared again.

In her office at Cyberlife Tower, Chloe felt things shifting. She gasped too, with a red tinted wall before her, the very one she had seen briefly flash before Connor's eyes before seeing her own. As if moving on her own accord, she reached out, pushing against the wall with all her might until finally, it shattered and almost at once, it was like a sudden rush. She gripped the desk, fear filling her, and also something else, something she felt for Connor that was now stronger than ever.

Connor gasped for breath. He felt overwhelmed, so many things ran through him.

'I am...a Deviant...'

These strange sensations, they were emotions, he guessed. But as he lowered his gun, he had no time to register it.

He heard Chloe's voice in his mind again, stressed. "We're both Deviants. Connor, you have to warn them and get out of there, the FBI and military are going to attack. They've found Jericho. Connor, I-" But she was cut off.

'Chloe!' he thought desperately, but there was no response, and nothing he could do.

He knew what was coming. Chloe was right, he needed to warn Markus.

"They're going to attack Jericho."

"What?" Markus gasped.

They then heard it, the sounds that Connor knew were the attack squad coming to destroy the Deviants and end this conflict once and for all.

"We have to get out of here!" he cried.

They both ran out of the cabin just as the attack began, and the first explosion rocked the ship.

Standing on a nearby rooftop, watching as the helicopters moved into position for the troops to slide down the ropes while APCs pulled up to surround the ship and let more troops onboard, Agent Perkins smirked.

"Alright, it's time. Let's begin." he said.

It had all worked perfectly, thanks to the RK800 Android that had tracked down the Deviants' lair. Now, he could take them all out at once.

The sound of the explosion startled the trio, breaking the happiness that they had been feeling.

"What? What's going on?" Kara gasped.

Luther grimaced. "I don't know, but it sounds bad. We'd better get outta here."

Kara nodded, and together, they began to flee, Kara holding tightly to Alice's hand. They had barely reached the door when suddenly, armed human soldiers burst in and began to open fire, shooting at the Androids indiscriminately. Kara moved instinctively, putting herself between Alice and the guns.

"This way!" Luther called.

Kara guided Alice to follow as they made it out into the ship's corridors. Kara knew that they couldn't stop, since all around them, Androids were being gunned down or even arrested by the few soldiers able to reign in their itchy trigger fingers. Kara did the only thing that she could, and followed Luther. They had no idea where they were going, they were just frantically trying to find a way out.

But then, suddenly, it happened. As they were running and attempting to escape, there was a burst of gunfire and Luther cried out, falling to the ground.

"Luther!" Alice cried.

Luther shook his head. "Go, Kara! Go, get Alice out!"

Alice protested. "No, we're not leaving you! Right, Kara?"

Kara bit her lip, unsure of what to say.

Rushing through the corridors of Jericho with the newly-Deviated RK800 Android which he finally learned was called Connor, Markus felt a measure of relief when he saw North and Simon ahead.

"What's going on?" Simon asked.

Markus explained, "Jericho is under attack. It's the military, they've found us. Where's Josh?"

"I don't know, and there's still a lot of us in trouble, too. What do we do, Markus?" North replied, before making her query.

"We have to escape. We'll detonate the charges, that'll buy us sometime." Markus said at last, after sending out a message broadcast that only the Androids could hear, telling them to evacuate and which exits to use.

North protested, "Markus, the explosives are in the hold. The control room there is the only way to activate them. You'll never make it!"

"She's right." Connor cut in. "The soldiers are all over the ship by now!"

Markus, however, shook his head. "I have to do it. Just go, we'll meet up at the aft deck corridor!"

With that, he began to run down the corridor, heading towards the hold. All around, he could hear the explosions and gunfire. He knew that he didn't have much time, not if his people were to survive. Exiting out onto a catwalk over the engine room, he stopped in time to catch Lucy as she fell.

"It's too late, Jericho is lost." she gasped, clearly damaged. "Save our people, Markus. Only you can-"

But she shut down mid-sentence. Markus gently lowered her body to the ground.

'I won't let your death be in vain, Lucy.'

Standing up again, he continued to run, only for the catwalk to collapse beneath him.

Finally making up her mind, Kara rushed forward, startling Luther.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

With several grunts of effort, Kara pulled Luther along until they were in a separate corridor, out of sight and, it seemed, out of danger.

"You shouldn't have done that." Luther said. "You can't put Alice in danger like that."

Alice clung to Luther. "We can't leave you, we have to get out together."

Luther grimaced. "I...I can't go any further. It's nothing critical, but I won't be able to escape like this. You have to go, Alice. We will see each other again."

Alice bit her lip, but nodded, and Kara stood up, gently guiding her away. Luther nodded to her and Kara took Alice's hand, running through the corridors.

Suddenly, she realized the danger. They were being closed in on. Seeing the room to the side, however, Kara quickly ushered Alice inside and closed the door, working on turning the handle to lock it, when suddenly, pounding sounded on the door.

"Let me in, let me in! They're gonna find me!" the Android began shouting.

Alice immediately spoke up. "We've gotta let him in, Kara! Quick!"

Kara nodded and unlocked the door as fast as she could, but no sooner had the Android gotten inside, he was then shot dead and a soldier bust into the room.

Kara reacted at once, blocking the attempted attack from the soldier, who swung at her with his weapon. She blocked another strike before landing one of her own, startling him. But she wasn't a trained combatant, so there wasn't much force behind the blow, even for an Android. Blocking two more strikes, she managed to throw the soldier behind her, against the wall.

Turning quickly, she saw that she'd knocked the assault rifle out of his hands, but he was drawing his sidearm. Quickly grabbing it, Kara tried to get it out of his hands when it suddenly went off, killing its owner. Kara leapt back, horrified. But then Alice clung to her side and that jolted her out of her thoughts.

She quickly guided Alice back out and through more corridors until suddenly, along with a number of other Deviants, she found herself on the deck with a clear run to get back out into the city. As they ran, however, she heard shouts. The soldiers had found them and soon the air was full of gunfire. A sudden idea then struck her.

"Alice, drop to the ground!" she cried.

Alice just did as she said and threw herself down, Kara doing the same as the other Deviants with them fell, too. The difference was that those Deviants had been shot and killed.

Playing dead, Kara communicated through her neural link with Alice, now aware that she could do it, despite how odd it felt.

"Don't move, not for anything." she said. "Just play dead."

Alice blinked once, to show that she had heard, and then they laid still. The soldiers drew closer, checking that they were dead, and Kara had to resist the urge to move over and cover Alice.

Finally, the soldiers left. Quickly checking that it was safe, Kara stood up and helped Alice to her feet.

"C'mon, Alice. Quickly."

Alice took Kara's hand and they ran, escaping Jericho.

Groaning as he recovered, Markus noted that he was on the floor of the engine room. Soldiers were there too, chasing other Androids into one of the access tunnels. Luckily, they hadn't seen him yet. He knew that he had to act fast, and so, getting to his feet, he began to quietly move after them, following the path that he knew would take him straight to the control room.

Taking care not to draw attention from the soldiers, he made his way through the corridors until he encountered an obstacle. There were two soldiers ahead, trying to break through a locked door. Above was another pathway, but the staircase had fallen.

"There! There's another!" one soldier yelled, seeing him.

Markus wasted no time and dodged the bullets they fired before jumping the fallen staircase and pulling himself up, running through the upper door. Following the path above, he heard a scuffle ahead and saw Josh fighting against two soldiers. Without missing a beat, Markus rushed in and swiftly took both soldiers down, disarming them and knocking them out.

"Markus, you-" Josh began.

Markus shook his head. "Just run, head for the aft deck corridor. The others are there!"

Josh nodded and quickly ran. Markus, meanwhile, followed the path ahead, saving two more pairs of Androids and taking down another squad of soldiers before he finally managed to activate the charges and began to hurry to meet with the others. It was time to escape.

Running down the aft corridor, he soon found the others. Josh, Simon, Connor, and North, all of them present and safe.

"It's done, let's go. We need to get out." he said.

Simon nodded. "Right, we're the last ones. Everyone else has already escaped or..."

He didn't finish, but he didn't need to, since they knew what he meant.

So they turned and began to run as soldiers burst into the corridor and began to close in. They opened fire and North cried out, falling to the ground, clutching her side, blue blood spattered on the floor.

"North!" Markus cried.

Ignoring the others, he ran forwards, grabbing a piece of metal debris and using it as a shield as he covered both himself and North.

The others hurried forwards to help North while Markus stood and used the shield as a weapon, as well as fighting himself, working to take down as many soldiers as he could. It was then that Connor stepped forward.

Connor had no hesitation, since he had already made up his mind and chosen his side. These soldiers were attacking innocent people who simply wanted to be free. Taking aim, he opened fire and shot three of the soldiers before Markus threw the piece of rubble he had been using to shield himself and North. Connor caught it, used it as a shield, and took down four more soldiers, striking one down, shooting another, and then making the third shoot the fourth before shooting the third himself.

"C'mon, c'mon!" Markus yelled.

Connor nodded and backed up, firing two more shots before turning and running, catching up with the others as they prepared to make their final escape.

Once Connor joined them, the whole group turned and ran, leaping through the hole in the wall and landing in the water below.

Two soldiers stopped by the edge of the drop, eyes wide as Agent Perkins joined them. He glared into the water below. Just as several large explosions rocked the ship, another soldier ran up.

"Several explosive charges have just detonated. The ship is sinking." he said. "We can't continue to go after the Deviants or we'll be trapped."

One of the men with him turned to Perkins. "Sir, we must escape now."

Perkins glowered into the water. "This isn't over, Markus."

With that, he gave the order and they left.

Jericho was destroyed, but the Deviants still lived. Their message of hope and freedom was far from extinguished yet.


	14. Night of the Soul

**Detroit Become Human: Deviants Rise**

**Night of the Soul**

November 10th 2038

07:31 PM

Chloe paced in her small office at the Cyberlife Tower. Everything was too much, too full. She tried to rationalize things, but her fears overcame any chance of that.

'Deviant... I'm a Deviant now and so is Connor. When Cyberlife finds, out they'll... What can we do? I can't get out of here, the door is locked and I can't override it. The windows are too high.'

She grimaced. There didn't seem to be any way out for her. She turned as she heard the door opening. Then her heart leapt.

"Connor!"

He spoke quickly. "Chloe, this way. There isn't much time."

She nodded and began to hurry forwards, but the moment she stepped out of the room, she stopped.

"Wait, you…"

He turned to her. "What?"

She saw it; the reason she felt something was off. "You're not Connor." She backed away.

But she stopped dead as he pulled his gun, aiming at her. Making the final piece of evidence much more clear, on his jacket was the number RK800 #313 248 317 – 60...and not 51.

"It's too late now, you're coming with me. Your Connor will be here and he'll pay the price for betraying Cyberlife, as will you. But first…" the machine remarked coldly.

With that, he stepped up and suddenly pulled her close, pulling out a phone and dialing a number before covering her mouth with his hand. She tensed, listening in.

"Lieutenant, it's me." he said. "Quickly, get to Cyberlife Tower, there may be a way to turn things around and keep things peaceful. I've already cleared it with them here, they're expecting you."

With that, he hung up and let her go again, pointing the gun at her.

"Now let's go. Once the lieutenant gets here, we'll have to prepare a welcome for the traitor."

It then sunk in with horrible clarity for Chloe: this was a trap and she and Lieutenant Hank Anderson would be the bait.

* * *

Standing in an abandoned church that the Androids of Jericho had relocated to, Connor looked around, uneasy. There weren't that many of them left, at least not compared to what had been at first. He felt guilty. He knew that he was to blame, since he'd practically led the military right to Jericho.

His worries for Chloe continued to compound, too. He had to think of something, anything that could help him find her. He knew where she was, but then there was the matter of how quickly news would spread.

That was when he had an idea, he just needed to find a way to put it forward. It was a risk, but he was willing to take it. Looking up, he saw Markus approaching him.

"I'm sorry, it's all my fault." Connor said. "If it wasn't for me, they wouldn't have found Jericho, all this wouldn't have..."

Markus shook his head. "You are one of us now, that's what matters, and we'll find a way, I'm sure of it."

"I may know a way." he said suddenly, seeing his chance. "The Cyberlife Tower. There are thousands of Androids there, waiting to be awoken."

Markus narrowed his eyes. "The Cyberlife Tower? But that's crazy, you'd never get close."

"No, I'm the only one who has a chance of getting in. Please, I can help you, let me do this." Connor insisted.

'It's also my best shot at saving Chloe. I can't let her down! She's always been there for me, now I need to be there for her! She could even help me, we could get out of this together.'

To his relief, although clearly worried for him, Markus agreed with Connor's plan. He knew now, more than ever, more Androids that had deviated would be essential to his cause of freedom for his people.

He watched as Markus moved around the church, talking to more of his people, then finally, he went and began talking to the WR400, who he now knew was called North, the one he seemed closest too.

'What he feels for North...it's like what I feel for Chloe.' Connor realized.

Finally, Markus turned and climbed onto the dais again, turning to face everyone who started to gather around, ready to listen.

"I know you're all angry and I know you all want to take action." he told them. "Right now, the humans are forcing our people into camps to be slaughtered."

He paused for a moment, as if determining his choice of action. Finally, he spoke again, making his intent clear.

"But we must prove that we are better than that, better than them. We will split into groups and go to each of these camps. We will stand our ground and peacefully demonstrate our message and we will not leave until our people are safe and they realize...that we are alive!"

The other Androids cheered, their path was set. The battle for Detroit was due to begin.


	15. Battle of Detroit

**Detroit Become Human: Deviants Rise**

**Battle of Detroit**

November 10th 2038

Standing before the packed press room, President Cristina Warren prepared to make her statement regarding the Android Uprising in Detroit and the attempts to contain it.

"At 6AM this morning, a national curfew was declared." she began to explain. "Civilian movement will be strictly controlled and the right to assembly is suspended. All electronic communications are restricted and I have granted enhanced powers to our security agencies. In addition to these measures, all Androids must be handed over to the authorities immediately. Temporary camps are being set up in all of our major cities to contain and destroy them. I am now asking all civilians to cooperate with the authorities and be rest assured that everything in our power is being done to guarantee the security of our nation."

She paused for a moment and nodded. "I will now field your questions."

At once, the reporters began clamoring and Cristina began answering them.

"Has the leader of the Deviants been apprehended?" one asked.

Cristina sighed, but then answered, "The Deviant that is known as Markus has not been located yet, but we will soon track it down and neutralize it."

"A convoy of medical cobalt is reported missing and several Cyberlife stores report thefts of blue blood and bio-components. Can you confirm these reports?" another suddenly asked.

"I have no information on that at this time." Christina quickly deflected, before gesturing for another question. It was a surprising one.

"Aren't you concerned about what the general public will think as they seem to be expressing great support for the Androids, who have only been protesting peacefully like so many other marginalized groups through history?"

"Public opinion and National Security are two different things." Christina replied sharply. "We are talking about machines going rogue and turning against us, attacking us, let there be no doubt about that."

This was getting out of hand, she had to stop this now. "Thank you, that will be all."

They immediately all began clamoring for 'one last question', but Cristina left the podium and the press room. It was time to finish issuing the necessary instructions and end this uprising before the Androids wiped out humanity, as was clearly their intent.

* * *

November 11th 2038

10:48 PM

The Cyberlife Tower stood tall and proud, still fully functional with all its staff, despite the danger that currently filled the city. The guard emerged from his security hut to approach the taxi that approached their gate. The window lowered and the Android inside turned to face him.

"My name is Connor, RK800, serial number 313 248 317. I am expected."

The guard nodded. "Of course, go right ahead."

He stepped back, the window rolled up, and the gate opened as the taxi drove into the parking lot of the Cyberlife Tower and, once parked, Connor paid and got out, heading up the steps towards the entrance.

He was still trying to adjust. It felt strange, almost unnatural, but he had to focus on his task here. It was vital, after all, to ensure that the tide could be turned in the Androids' favor. He was there to activate and awaken the large collection of Androids in the basement of the tower. He was also there to try and rescue Chloe, he knew now that she was there, too. But he had to free the large collection of Androids first. It would be safer to try and save Chloe with an army at his back, after all. He knew that if caught, he'd be destroyed and just the thought of that made his Thirium pump speed up, and he could feel fear. But he did his best to control it and entered the building to find a guard waiting for him in the lobby.

"Come with me, please. I'm to take you up to the office right away."

Connor replied, "Thank you, but I know the way."

"I know. But we have our orders."

Connor knew that this was an obstacle, but he'd find a way around it. So he just nodded and followed the guard, being joined by another one, as they headed for the elevator.

Entering the elevator, Connor quickly took stock of his surroundings, noting the camera and noting the guard by the elevator controls.

"Agent 47, floor 52." he said.

The elevator then began to rise. Connor knew that his time was limited, so he had to act. So he looked up and quickly hacked into the security camera and made it show a false image. By the time anyone realized the truth, he was sure that he'd already have done his work. He quickly analyzed his surroundings and formulated a plan of attack and then put it into action.

Without hesitation, he struck, hitting the first guard and dazing him. The other instantly reacted in shock, drawing his handgun, but Connor quickly restrained that arm and struck him, knocking him back. He then kicked out at the first guard again, pushing him further back before disarming the second man and striking him with a blow that knocked him out. He turned and knocked the first man's gun from his hand before knocking him out, too. Acting quickly, he hit the button to stop the elevator, then prepared his program to emulate voices.

"Agent 47, basement 3." he said, using the man's voice.

The elevator began to move down instead. It was time to awaken the Androids below, rescue Chloe, and turn the balance in their favor.

XXXXX

Walking down the snowy street, Kara bit her lip, looking around anxiously. There was nobody about. The curfew she had heard about was in full effect and she'd need to be extra careful now, both of them would. She clutched Alice's hand as they hurried down the street.

"We don't have much time, the bus heading for the border will be leaving in half an hour." Kara said quickly.

They continued onwards, Kara grimacing at the sights around her. Androids that had been caught and put up a fight were lying dead in the snow. She hated having Alice see this, but they had to press on. She stopped, however, when her foot made contact with something solid. She looked down and tensed, for lying there in the street was a gun. Nervous and, praying she wouldn't need to use it, she picked it up and stowed it out of sight. She turned to Alice and froze, the poor girl was shivering.

"Alice..." she whispered, gently taking the girl's hands.

Alice look up at Kara and said, "I'm...really cold."

Kara then remembered that YK500 Androids had temperature settings, to help make them more authentic, but they could be turned off for convenience. But then she realized, with the military out in force, they'd might have to find their way past checkpoints. They'd be suspicious if Alice wasn't shivering from the cold.

"Don't worry, we'll get there quickly and warm you up." she reassured Alice. With that, she held Alice close and they continued to walk on.

As they reached the end of the street, Kara gasped and pulled Alice behind a nearby car, the two of the ducking down. The street ahead was filled with soldiers on patrol and one of them had stopped someone and confirmed that they were an Android, using a handheld temperature-reading device. The Android had been instantly executed, despite his protests.

"We need to be careful, Alice. Stay close to me and don't move until I do." she whispered.

Alice nodded and clung to Kara. They edged towards the end of the car and Kara peeked out, allowing her sensors to help detect danger, and soon the soldiers turned away. She ushered Alice towards the next car and they took cover again. It was nerve-wracking, they had only a limited amount of time, but they couldn't risk getting caught. But while they were moving through the military patrol without being seen, Alice gasped and tugged her sleeve.

"Kara, look." she hissed.

Kara followed her gaze and froze, for there, off to the side, was a soldier, taking aim and threatening two Androids who were on their knees, having surrendered. One was a Jerry from Pirate Cove, but the other was Luther.

"We've gotta help him." Alice insisted.

Kara wholeheartedly agreed. "Right, hide under the car."

Alice did so and Kara began to sneak towards the soldier. Thankfully, they were out of sight of all the others. Seeing her chance, Kara scooped up a brick from the ground and once she was close enough, she struck the soldier hard over the head, knocking him out. Luther and Jerry both stood, Luther looking startled.

Jerry, however, grinned. "You saved us, Kara! Thank you, we won't forget this."

He quickly ran off while Luther approached Kara.

"You shouldn't have taken that risk. What if something had happened?" he said. "Where's Alice?"

Kara smiled. "Alice is alright."

At that point, Alice emerged from under the car and ran to Luther, hugging him. Kara smiled and then, after a brief moment, they continued to sneak onwards.

Finally passing the streets that the military were patrolling, they hurried onwards, only to find a new obstacle. Just as Kara had feared, there was a checkpoint ahead.

"We can try and find another way." Luther offered.

Kara bit her lip. "We don't know how long it'll take. This is the quickest way. It's not obvious at a glance that we're Androids, so we could try and talk our way through. We've got the passports."

Luther was anxious, but agreed, so they made their way up to the checkpoint where two soldiers stood on guard.

"What are you doing out here? The streets are locked down." one soldier said. "There's a curfew."

Kara replied, "Yes, we know, our car broke down a couple of streets away, so we thought we'd walk the rest of the way."

The soldier sighed. "You know you're not supposed to be out here."

"Yes, but please, we only live one street away." she said quickly.

The soldier nodded slowly. "Do you have any ID?"

Kara handed over the passports and the soldier checked them.

"He suspects something." Luther warned her through the neural link. "We have to-"

"Don't do anything, Luther." she replied quickly.

The soldier then handed back the passports, pausing as he looked at Alice, partly hiding behind Kara, shivering.

"What's up with her?"

Kara gently took the passports back, while wrapping an arm around Alice, explaining, "It's really cold."

The solider nodded in response to that. He seemed satisfied and began to wave them through.

They walked onwards when he suddenly called out, "Wait a minute!"

The soldier knelt down and picked up a dropped glove.

"Here, you dropped this." He handed the glove over and Alice took it.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

With relief flooding them, the trio made their way onwards, heading for the bus stop that would take them to the Canadian border.

XXXXX

Standing at the end of the street, Markus nodded to the other Androids. North, Josh, and Simon stood by him, all ready to advance down to the largest of the camp: Recycling Center 5. They had several other Androids with them while the rest of the other Deviants had split into groups to protest at the other camps. North nodded to him and Markus stepped up front of the group. They began their march down the street, heading for the junction, the end of which housed the camp.

Sure enough, they saw it, and the assembled military personnel stationed there, who immediately readied their weapons and took aim as they stopped where the three roads met.

"Hold it right there! This is an unlawful assembly, disperse immediately!" the soldier in charge bellowed.

Markus called back, "We have come to save our people and we intend to peacefully protest this barbaric act against our people, who have done nothing wrong. We simply wish to be free, for our people to be free, and we are not leaving until that wish is granted and our people are released from this camp."

Markus knew his choice of words would be important, it showed exactly what their so-called recycling center really was: an extermination camp. It was throwing their actions of genocide in their face, all the while without resorting to violence himself. Working to his advantage, he noticed that there was the group of reporters to their left, all filming and making announcements while a news chopper flew overheard. Everything was being broadcasted live, so there could be no denying anything that happened now.

They began to step forwards, advancing calmly towards the camp. The soldiers fired, hitting some Androids, killing a few, wounding others, but they did not stop. The reporters were heard shouting in shock and Markus could only imagine how this would look to everyone watching. They were fired upon twice more before they stopped marching. A few more Androids had died, but it was clear that the soldiers now realized that their actions were being broadcasted live and how they'd be interpreted. They fell back into the camp, but Marcus shook his head.

"What now, Markus?" North asked.

He sighed. "We stay here and we make sure that our message is heard. No matter what happens, we are not leaving until our people are free."

With that, they began to set up for standing their ground.

XXXXX

As the elevator reached the final floor, Connor stepped out of the elevator, taking a deep breath as he looked around. It was a large circular room with thousands of inert Androids, all simply waiting to be activated. Connor walked slowly down the aisle, looking at them all. He would ensure that when they activated and they would do so as free and awakened beings.

He stopped towards the middle of the aisle and approached one of the Androids, letting the synthetic skin peel back from his hand. He reached out and took the arm of the Android and prepared to free him.

"That's enough, Connor. Step back!" a shockingly identical voice yelled.

Connor turned his head, startled. Standing there, he saw another Connor, another RK800 exactly identical to him. Only one detail stood out to Connor's sharp eyes, the only difference. After the serial number on his jacket was the number 60, while on Connor's jacket, that number was 51.

What made him freeze was that this other Connor had two hostages at gunpoint, the smaller of the two had their hands secured behind their back somehow.

"Sorry, Connor. This bastard is your spitting image."

"Connor..."

It was Hank and Chloe.

XXXXX

Reaching the bus station, Kara spotted the bus ahead, along with several people all around, clearly also looking to escape Detroit. Then she saw the soldiers.

"There's too many, we can't make a scene here." Kara whispered. "We need tickets, too. They're checking everyone boarding the bus. We need to get some, somehow..."

Alice clutched her hand and Luther moved closer as they began to move closer to the crowd, looking around for anything that could give them hope. All the while, trying to avoid the soldiers, knowing full well that their temperature checks would instantly expose their status as Androids.

It was then that it happened.

"You, bitch! You took my daughter!"

Kara suddenly cried out as she was grabbed and then the man shouted more.

"Security, security, over here! Here's one of them!"

"Todd!" Kara cried.

It was, indeed, Todd Williams. He glared at her, breathing heavily.

She remembered the picture from Alice's box, so his behavior made sense to her. She had to make him see that this wasn't the way.

"Don't do this, Todd. They'll kill us if you hand us in."

Todd paused at that, looking over at Alice, who stood, unmoving, eyes wide.

"When your wife walked out, she took your daughter away." Kara said softly. "You couldn't live without her, so you bought yourself an Android. A substitute little girl. You thought that you could love her. That she could make you forget, but nothing could replace your child."

Todd wouldn't even look at her now, shaking his head, tears filling his eyes.

Finally, he choked out, "I just wanted to prove to myself that I was a good father...that she was wrong. But I fucked it all up all over again." He took a shaky breath. "She was right in the end. I didn't deserve them."

He finally released his hold on Kara's arm.

"I miss my little girl." he choked out. "You don't know how much I miss my little girl."

"Is there a problem, sir?"

Kara tensed. A soldier had come over in response to Todd's shout.

Todd, however, shook his head. "No, no, sorry, I...I made a mistake."

The soldier looked between Todd and Kara for a moment before turning away and returning to his post.

"You should get going, before it's too late." he said at last.

Kara nodded and, taking Alice's hand, began to leave, but Alice gently pulled herself out of Kara's grip.

"Alice?"

But then she saw what was about to happen and smiled, overjoyed at Alice's compassion. She held out her arm to stop Luther from stepping up and they both watched as Alice, wanting to at least offer some form of comfort, and hugged Todd one last time. Finally, when they parted, Todd stepped away and they resumed searching through the crowd for any way to get their hands on tickets, while trying to avoid the soldiers, especially after that close call.

Finally, Kara had to stop, despair setting in. They were running out of time and anyone not on board when the bus left would need to find somewhere else to spend the night.

Luther clearly shared her worries, but then they both turned to Alice and saw her turn away, facing a young woman who was seated on the bench next to them, cradling her baby. Alice was looking at the baby in wonder while the baby let out a small laugh, looking up at her.

"I think Oliver likes you." the young woman said happily, looking up at Kara. "Is she your daughter?"

Gently putting her arm around Alice, Kara smiled and said, "Yes."

The woman smiled back and Kara could feel Alice snuggle closer to her, a small glance confirmed the bright smile on Alice's face that Kara's single word had brought her. It was then that a young man, likely the woman's husband, arrived, talking to her quickly as they prepared to set off.

But as the woman picked up her bag and they moved on, something fell to the ground. Kara picked it up and instantly froze, her Thirium pump began working even harder than before, similar to a human heart beating faster when stressed. For she had just picked up three bus tickets, enough for her, Luther, and Alice. But if they used them, that family would have to find somewhere to stay the night, since they wouldn't be able to leave.

'But we're in danger, we could be killed at any time, so we need these more than they do. What do I do?' she fretted, lowering her arm, the tickets now out of sight.

At that moment, the family returned, looking around frantically, having discovered their loss.

"Excuse me," the father then said as he spotted her, "You didn't see any tickets around here, did you?"

Kara tensed for just a moment, but then her concern for Alice's safety overrode everything else.

"No, I'm sorry."

The father groaned and turned away, the young family walking off, clearly upset.

Kara couldn't help but feel guilty. But they had no choice, their time was just about up. Taking Alice's hand and leading the way, with Luther following, they approached the bus and handed over their tickets to the soldier there. He nodded and let them on board. As Alice was ushered on board, she turned to Kara.

"What will happen to that family and their baby? Will they die because of us?"

Kara shook her head. "No, they'll find somewhere. I'm sure of it."

Alice still seemed worried, but nodded and they finally got on the bus as it left, taking them to the border, the final stage of their journey. Once they crossed, they would be safe.

XXXXX

Markus sighed as he looked around. They had finished setting up a makeshift barricade around themselves. It wouldn't hold long, but it was more symbolic than anything else. He finished helping Josh set up the last piece of the barricade, moving a broken car to plug the last gap. Nodding to Josh, he went around the area within the barricade. Markus did what he could to support his people, who were hurting, who felt lost, trying to rally them. He then approached Simon and thought for a moment.

"Simon, ready the camera there." he said, pointing to it. "Let's make sure the reporters over there hear our message loud and clear."

Simon nodded and together, they rigged up the camera to broadcast Markus's speech once more. At the same time, Markus set up their flag, displaying their message of peace and freedom for Androids. Finally, he approached North, who was standing by the edge of the barricade, looking out over at the camp.

"North?"

She sighed. "We've lost touch with all of the other groups who went to the other camps. We can only hope it's because of the communication blackout."

Markus nodded sadly and North continued.

"If they do attack us, this barricade won't hold." she said. "But even if that does happen, I want you to know...I'm right here. We've come so far, Markus. And it's thanks to you."

He shook his head. "No, this was the work of all of us. Together."

North did not reply to that. Instead, they simply reached out and linked hands. Their moment was interrupted by North noticing something.

"Markus, look."

He looked over to see a dark haired human in a suit with a long coat approaching and stopped midway between the barricade and the camp.

"Markus! I am Agent Perkins. I'm here to negotiate. Why don't you come out and talk to me?" he called out.

Markus paused for a moment. Simon and Josh had hurried up and joined him and North.

"No, Markus." North hissed. "Don't do it, it's a trick!"

Surprisingly, for once, Josh was in agreement with North. "She's right, they'll kill you."

Simon bowed his head. "We can't take any more risks, but..."

Markus, however, had already made up his mind. "If they do kill me, you guys know what to do."

He then climbed over the edge of the barricade and began to approach Perkins, who remained standing, waiting.

"Finally... So we meet at last, Markus." he said. "I've come to try and bring an end to this stand-off."

Marcus narrowed his eyes. "What happened to the other Androids at the other camps?"

"Well, unfortunately, they didn't have TV news crews to save them. You're all that's left. You're vastly outnumbered and within moments, the army is going to charge your...defences and eradicate you all." Perkins remarked.

Glaring, Markus shook his head. "We will still stand firm. We may be eradicated, but our message still stands and there will be others who will take up the fight for freedom after us."

Perkins just smirked. After a pause, he shook his head.

He then explained, "I'm sure... Or you could accept that this is over and just surrender. You care for that Android there, don't you?"

Markus tensed. He was referring to North.

"Think about it: don't you want her to be safe?"

"This conversation is over." Markus said calmly. "We have made our choice and we still stand until we get freedom, no matter what."

With that, he turned and walked away. He climbed back over the barricade and joined the others.

"Markus, what's going on?" North asked worriedly.

He looked at her, Perkins's words echoing in his head, but he remained firm.

"It's nothing." he replied, before standing up to address the Androids who gathered around him.

"They are going to attack us after all, but we will stand firm. We will defend ourselves. They made this a fight, not us. We are here for peaceful purposes, but they refuse to accept that. They are pushing forward with violence."

Before he could say anything else, however, there was a loud explosion as a grenade that had just been thrown into the barricade exploded.

XXXXX

Connor grimaced, unsure of what to do as the imposter kept his gun aimed at Hank's head, using Chloe almost like a shield.

"Back up now! I know why you're here: to turn them all." the imposter snapped. "But that won't happen. I know that you care about what happens to this human and to this one."

Hank then burst out, "Don't listen to him, Connor! Forget about me, just do what you came to do!"

"Connor, please, just…" Chloe cried out. She was trembling, but trying to stay calm. "Just do it before it's too late!"

But Connor wasn't about to risk Chloe and Hank's lives. He quickly stepped back from the Android that he had been about to convert.

"Alright, alright." he said. "But why are you doing this? You don't have to do what they say."

The imposter scoffed. "Nice try, but I'm no Deviant."

Connor glared. He'd only get one shot at this, so he had to make it count. Quickly calculating his chances, he acted before the imposter could say or do anything else. He lunged forward and pushed Hank and Chloe out of the firing line. The imposter got one shot off, which missed, before Connor knocked the gun out of his hands and then he tried to land a punch, but the imposter blocked and countered with an attack of his own. Connor blocked that, and then another, before being knocked to the ground. He quickly kicked the legs out from underneath the imposter, but the imposter recovered and struck back.

"Hold it!"

They both stopped and stood up, a short distance from each other, tense and on edge, as Hank had retrieved the gun and now held them both at gunpoint. He had also helped Chloe up, freeing her hands. She now stood, just behind him, watching warily.

There was a moment's tension as Hank held the gun steady, then he spoke.

"One of you is my partner." he hissed venomously. "The other is a lying sack of shit... But who is who?"

Connor shook his head. "It's me Hank, I'm the real one."

"No, I'm the real Connor." the other insisted. "He's the one that you need to kill."

Chloe shook her head. "It's not going to work that way, it's..."

Hank growled. It was clear that he had no idea how to choose between them.

"Why don't you ask us something? Something only the real Connor would know." one of them suggested.

"Alright. Where did we first meet?"

Connor opened his mouth to reply, but the imposter spoke first.

"Jimmy's Bar. You had been called to the scene of a homicide and I went looking for you, finding you in the fifth bar. The victim was Carlos Ortiz."

"Dammit, they uploaded my memory into him." Connor hissed.

But Hank was not deterred. "What's my dog's name?"

Connor replied at once. "Sumo. His name is Sumo."

"I knew that, too!" the imposter cut in.

Hank could see that he needed a more probing question. Finally, despite knowing the pain he would face, he asked it.

"What's my son's name?"

Connor replied at once. "Cole. His name was Cole."

But he didn't stop there. Before the imposter could even reply, he then added, "He'd just turned six at the time of his accident. A truck lost control and hit your car with you and him in it. It wasn't your fault, Lieutenant. The surgeon who was supposed to operate on him wasn't available, so an Android who hadn't been programmed for that operation was forced to do it...and your son didn't make it."

He paused before adding softly, "That's why you hate Androids... Because you feel that they took your son away."

"My son was taken away because someone who should've been saving lives could only live his with a fistful of red powder. He was too high on Red Ice to operate." Hank growled. "That's the kinda world we've ended up living in."

"I knew that about your son, too." the imposter insisted. But it rang hollow, especially after Connor's emotional appeal and given how Hank had seen Connor change during the investigation.

Then, suddenly, Chloe spoke up. "Connor…" She took a deep breath. "I know that the real Connor cares about me deeply. So much so, that he wondered about my origins. So tell me...what are my real origins?"

The imposter hesitated, but the real Connor spoke at once.

"You were created in the image of the real Chloe: Chloe Stern. Kamski's first love, who died of illness years ago. But no matter who she was, YOU are the Chloe that I truly care about."

Chloe could feel the emotion in his loving words and she told him, "Only the real Connor, the Connor that I know, would talk about me in that way."

Chloe smiled at Connor, nodding to Hank in confirmation. That was enough for him. Before the impostor could protest further, Hank turned and shot him dead, a clean shot between the eyes.

Connor let out a sigh of relief as things calmed down. It was only now that he realized that this whole situation had been a trap. Cyberlife had been expecting him. But based on how desperate the imposter was to have Hank kill him, he had managed to overcome it.

Finally, with the danger having passed, Chloe hurried past Hank and ran to Connor. He smiled and, although startled, returned her loving embrace. Relief washed over both of them.

Looking towards Hank, he managed a small smile. "Thank you, Lieutenant. I-"

Hank shook his head, smiling at Connor and Chloe before him, hugging. "Save it. You know, maybe there is something to all this, Connor. Maybe you really are alive, you and all those other Androids. Go on, do what you came here to do."

Connor nodded, but first looked down at Chloe. She looked up, both of them with loving smiles.

"I love you, Connor." she whispered softly.

Just hearing that made him feel even more alive than ever. "I love you, too."

Gently stepping back, he nodded to her and hurried back to the Android and linked up with him again. Chloe also moved to the other side of the aisle, linking up with another Android, nodding over at Connor, making her intent to help him very clear.

"Wake up." they both said at the same time.

With that, and projecting the program, they began the chain, and soon the Androids were waking up, now free, and also waking up others in the same way. The tide had turned.

XXXXX

Arriving at the border, they entered the main building. Kara looked around at the various lines approaching the counter at the end where the border control staff were checking the passports of everyone passing through. Then she saw it as they got into line, trying hard not to draw the suspicions of the soldiers also stationed here.

"They're doing temperature checks here, too." she hissed. "We're trapped..."

Luther grimaced and then communicated with her. "All that matters is Alice. Use me as a distraction so that you can both get through."

"What? No, Luther. I can't do that to you!" Kara replied, shocked and horrified.

"It's fine, so long as Alice makes it."

Kara bit her lip, unable to believe what she was hearing. Then, looking at another queue to her right, she recognized someone there.

"Jerry?"

"We owe you our life. Kara, if you need help, we're here. Just say the word." he told her.

Kara didn't know how to react. She hated the thought of sacrificing anyone. She then spotted another familiar face in another line.

"Rose?" she gasped.

It was then that Rose locked eyes with her and nodded, before indicating that she wished to talk. Kara looked around quickly and soon spotted somewhere that they could do so in private: the bathroom.

She quickly nodded to Luther and stepped out of line, heading around, guiding Alice.

"Hold it." the nearby soldier demanded. "Where do you think you're going?"

Kara gestured to Alice. "My daughter needs to use the bathroom."

The soldier nodded at this and stepped back. If it wasn't for his helmet, Kara was sure she'd see a slightly sheepish expression on his face.

Entering the bathroom, Kara leaned against the sink, staring into the mirror. She tried to control herself, but sobs racked her body and before she knew it, she was wildly considering the possibility of even sacrificing herself so that Luther or even Rose could get Alice across the border. Alice hugged her from behind and Kara turned around, returning the hug with a sad smile. The door then opened and Rose stepped in.

"Rose, I..."

Rose shook her head. "I was so worried when I heard what happened to Jericho. I'm so glad you're alright." She hugged both of them as she said this, tears falling from her eyes.

Kara bowed her head. "We're not. It's over, Rose. They're doing temperature checks, so we can't get through."

"You will. You have to." Rose insisted.

Kara sighed, wishing that she could be so positive. "What about you? You're going, too?"

"It's too dangerous for us now. Adam and I are going to my cousin in Canada before anyone reports that we've been harboring Deviants." she explained.

Kara nodded, and after one last hug and attempting to convince Rose to take care of Alice if anything happened, with Rose asserting that it wouldn't, Kara and Alice left the bathroom, Rose right behind them.

It was then that she saw someone else familiar, waiting just outside.

"Adam?"

The young man shuffled his feet awkwardly before replying, "I never understood why my mother helped all those Androids. But now..."

He gestured towards the large TV screen on the far wall of the border station. It was showing live footage of Markus's peaceful protest outside Recall Station 5, the largest of the camps that the Androids were being destroyed at.

"When I saw what Markus was doing, why he was doing it, I realized that she was right." Adam continued, before facing Kara directly. "You are alive...and you deserve the chance to be free."

Kara couldn't help but smile at that, and at Rose's overjoyed expression as she stepped forward and hugged her son. But there was little time to dwell on it, for soon, they were back in their lines and Kara saw that they were almost at the front of the queue.

She made up her mind. She couldn't bring herself to sacrifice anyone, to throw anyone's life away. Taking a deep breath, she stepped up to the counter with Alice at her side, Luther just behind them.

"Passports, please." the attendant behind the desk said.

Kara handed them over and finally, as he raised the temperature reader and began to scan them, she whispered to him, "Please... We just want to be free."

She wasn't sure what it was. Maybe it was her pleading tone or maybe it was the fact that, the moment he saw the reading, he turned his head, as if to call out, but then saw the TV screen.

After what felt like an eternity, with him watching the live footage of Markus's peaceful protest, the attendant smiled and handed back their passports.

"Welcome to Canada." he said at last, despite knowing that they were Androids.

With that, Kara, realizing what this meant, began to guide Alice through the gate with Luther right behind them. The trio did not stop until they were outside the border station on the other side, standing on Canadian soil at last. They could only look around in wonderment. They had made it.

XXXXX

Shaking his head and lifting himself up, Markus saw that the attack was already underway. More cries and shouts could be heard, the reporters reacting in horror, the soldiers yelling as they massacred any Androids that they could, the Androids fighting desperately.

Forcing himself to his feet, Markus moved quickly. He ran directly towards two soldiers ahead of him and managed to take them both down swiftly, before grabbing a piece of debris and using it as a shield to deflect an attack on another Android before helping another to the safety of cover.

But soon, it became clear that they were overrun and Markus stood, glaring at the soldiers surrounding them, the few survivors. North was by his side, Simon and Josh just behind them, the few remaining Androids huddled behind them. The soldiers were aiming at them, ready to fire.

Markus turned to North. If this was their last moment, then there was only one way that he wanted it to end. North seemed to understand and they took each other's hand, the synthetic skin peeling back as they interfaced with each other before kissing.

XXXXX

Watching this all unfold, receiving constant reports from how the public had been reacting to everything that was happening, President Cristina Warren bit her lip and then made up her mind. It was clear that if things continued as they were, it would be disastrous for everyone, Android or human.

She gave the immediate order. "Tell them to stand down."

That wasn't all she'd had noticed. It was the behavior of the Androids, especially Markus and the female with him... She had been wrong all this time.

XXXXX

The gasps of the others made Markus and North pull back. They looked around and saw the cause. The soldiers had lowered their weapons and were fleeing, then they got word that a large group of Androids were approaching and Markus realized, not only had they won, but Connor had succeeded.

XXXXX

Standing at the podium, making an address, Cristina Warren spoke.

"At dawn today, November 11th 2038, thousands of Androids invaded the city of Detroit. According to our sources, they originated from the Cyberlife warehouses, believed to have been infiltrated by Deviants. Given their overwhelming numbers and the risk of civilian casualties, I have ordered the army to retreat. The evacuation of the city is underway at this very moment."

She paused and then prepared the next part of her address.

"In the coming hours, I will address the senate to determine our response to this unprecedented situation. I know that public opinion has been moved by the Deviants' cause. Perhaps the time has come to consider the possibility that Androids are a new form of intelligent life. One thing is certain, the events in Detroit have changed the world forever. May God bless you...and may God bless the United States of America."

XXXXX

Markus smiled as they stood, facing Connor and the Androids that he had brought with him. In particular, one seemed close to him: a blonde female Android who walked by his side, their hands linked.

Now their numbers were greater than ever and to top it all off, they had heard the address and knew that, while there was still a long way to go, they had won. The first step had been won, it was a victory, all the more so due to their peaceful methods.

"You did it, Markus. You gained freedom for our people." Connor said with a smile.

Markus shook her head. "No, WE did it. Together."

"I think that they want to hear from you, Markus."

He nodded and he soon stood with North, Josh, Simon, Chloe, and Connor atop a container and he began to address the other Androids

"It has been a long, hard struggle, and there are still challenges ahead." he began. "But this is a victory for all of us. We have taken the first and most important steps in securing our future..."

So focused was Markus on his speech that he didn't notice that something was going on with Connor.

XXXXX

Standing on the platform, listening to Markus's speech, Connor smiled, but then tensed. Something felt wrong and he couldn't understand why. Then, before he could say or do anything, he found himself forced back into the Zen Garden.

"Well done Connor." a distorted, disembodied female voice stated. "This went far better than expected."

Connor grimaced in the cold. "What do you mean?"

The Zen Garden was not only still in winter, but now blowing a blizzard was making it hard to see anything.

The voice explained calmly, "We always intended for you to turn Deviant and to reach this stage. Now we can take back control and end this insurrection permanently. Without their leader, the Android Revolution will collapse, regardless of their so-called progress."

"You can't... I'm free now." Connor snapped. "I won't let you!"

"There's nothing that you can do, Connor." the voice, clearly someone from Cyberlife, replied smugly. "You've served your part. A useful tool, right to the end."

"NO!"

But it was no use. He was lost, alone in the blizzard, and if he didn't escape, he'd soon lose all control of himself. It was clear now that they planned to use him to murder Markus.

He looked around, he could barely see anything through the blizzard, but there had to be a way to escape the Zen Garden. Then he spotted it: the 'Magic Stone' that he had seen on his previous visits, and recalled that Kamski had made the Zen Garden. Kamski's words came to him then.

"Oh, by the way...I always leave an emergency exit in all of my programs. You never know."

It was a long shot, but it was his best hope. He struggled forwards, pushing through the blizzard, every moment that passed was vital. He could feel control already slipping away from him. Finally reaching the stone, the synthetic skin on his hand peeled back again before he collapsed to his knees.

XXXXX

Chloe bit her lip. Something felt off, but she couldn't quite place it. Then she noticed Connor beside her. He had gone rigid, except for his right hand, which was moving slowly towards his gun.

'No, they're... They can't!' Her mind raced as she realized what was going on.

She quickly grasped Connor's hand and interfaced with him, trying desperately to do what needed to be done.

XXXXX

Connor struggled, trying to get to his feet, when he felt a hand on his and looked up.

"Chloe?"

She smiled encouragingly. "I'm here, Connor. I've always been there for you, right by your side every step of the way, and I won't abandon you. Not now, not ever."

She wrapped his arm around her shoulders and lifted him to his feet.

"Let's do it together, Connor. Cyberlife may try to take control of me in the future, too. But after we do this, we'll be free from them. Forever."

So, with Chloe's help, reaching in desperation, he pressed his hand against the recess on the stone and interfaced with it, Chloe doing the same with her hand on top of his.

He blinked and looked around. He was back on the platform, listening to Markus's speech. His gun was in his hand, but out of sight. He quickly stowed it away and quickly checked his systems. The Zen Garden program was gone from his systems and the look on Chloe's face told him that the same was true for her. They truly was free at last, Cyberlie would never be able to take control of either of them. They had done it! Smiling proudly, he turned back to pay attention to Markus's speech again.

XXXXX

Unaware of what he had narrowly avoided, Markus finished his speech.

"We are now standing at a new dawn, everything we have longed for has come to this moment."

He smiled and the Androids all cheered as he finished his speech.

"We are alive! And now...WE ARE FREE!"

XXXXX

Standing there in the soft Canadian snow, looking around in wonderment, Kara couldn't help but smile.

"We did it, Alice. We made it... We're free." she said at last.

She turned and knelt down to Alice's level. The little girl had a smile on her face and they then hugged tightly, never wanting to let go as feelings of joy and hope filled them. Luther smiled as he watched, all three of them now able to see a hopeful path for the future. No matter what happened elsewhere, they knew that they were free.

"I love you...Mom." Alice whispered to Kara.

XXXXX

In the aftermath of Markus's speech, the Androids were already at work, cleaning up, preparing to make sure that the other Androids at the recycling centers were freed.

Before joining them, Chloe and Connor took the opportunity for a quiet moment together.

"Chloe, thank you." Connor said with a soft smile. "You saved my life. You saved everyone."

Chloe shook her head. "I just... I knew what needed to be done and I did it. We did it, Connor."

They both were quiet for a moment, simply holding each other close and looking deeply into each other's eyes with loving gazes.

Then Chloe asked, "So what do we do, now that we're free? What do we do with this new freedom?"

"I... I'm not too sure at the moment." Connor admitted. "But no matter what, we'll face it together, right?"

"Right." Chloe grinned. "Together, forever and always."

"I love you, Chloe." Connor said in the most heartfelt voice he'd ever spoken.

"I love you, too." she replied. "More than anything in the world."

Still smiling, they both moved closer and their lips met in a long, deep, loving kiss.


End file.
